Ambush Gone Wrong
by Shezza
Summary: Semirhage's ambush went totally wrong, and a crossstream of balefire has had unseen consequences. Rand and Lews Therin are thrown back in the Wheel of Time, back to the fateful Winternight. With the power of foresight, Rand has a chance to do it all again
1. Unexpected Balefire: Edited!

**A/N- This has been edited, the first version was a little bit choppy and rushed for my liking. That's what happens when you just want to finish a chapter so you can get to bed. I've rarely been able to leave a chapter unfinished, it's annoying and feels wrong.**

**This is mainly for Ta'al, and those who aren't familiar with the WOT universe. Lews Therin is a voice that Rand hears in his head because he is partially mad. It's actually the voice of his previous past-life, who went mad as well and killed all of his family.**

**This story won't be as explanatory as the last one. It would be best if most people had read WOT to understand this. To those who were a fan of my HP stories, think of this as trying to read an AU COS or whatever, without ever reading the original. Almost impossible…if you do want explanations for most of my things, my other story has most of them littered throughout it.

* * *

**

Leaving the horses standing, he started toward the sul'dam and damane with Cadsuane and Nynaeve a little distance to either side of him. Logain, hand resting on his sword hilt as if that were his real weapon, strode along on the other side of Cadsuane, Narishma and Sandomere beyond Nynaeve. The small dark woman began walking toward them slowly, holding her pleated skirts up off the damp ground.

Abruptly, no more than ten paces away, she . . . flickered. For an instant, she was taller than most men. Garbed all in black, surprise on her face, and though she still wore the veil, her head was covered with short-cut wavy black hair. Only an instant before the small woman re- turned, her step faltering as she let her white skirts fall, but another flicker, and the tall dark woman stood there, her face twisted in fury behind the veil. He recognized that face, though he had never seen it before. Lews Therin had, and that was enough.

"Semirhage." he said in shock before he could stop the word, and suddenly everything seemed to happen at once. He reached for the Source and found Lews Therin clawing for it too.

(_Knives of Dreams, Book 11, Robert Jordan)

* * *

_

Each of them jostled the other aside from reaching it, as Semirhage flicked her hand, and a brilliant bar of liquid fire erupted from it and sped towards Rand.

* * *

Semirhage watched calmly as the column of men approached her slowly. She lay cloaked beneath a mask of illusions, hidden by Saidar that no man could see. As the column got closer, she gestured for the damane and sul'dam to move. None of them knew who she truly was, and Semirhage waited impatiently, her nerves tingling and _Saidar _flowing through her, a tight grip around the power. Morridin had given her orders, but he did not know how much danger Semirhage was placing herself in. To let herself get captured…it was almost unthinkable. But Morridin had ordered her and the orders of the Great Lord only outranked him.

Suddenly Semirhage sensed a woman channeling, then two, and her mask of illusions wobbled. Surprise etched her every feature and buzzed her mind as she strained to keep the illusion up, before hammers of _Saidar _broke away the illusion. Rage and fury filled her as she drew herself up, raising a hand, and she stared into the eyes of the Dragon Reborn. Those eyes, which had never seen her before, were staring at her with a shocked recognition, and suddenly Semirhage felt very afraid as the gaze of Lews Therin stared back at her.

She channeled her _Saidar _as those steely gray eyes burned into her mind, and suddenly she threw aside any plans and plots. She had to destroy him, before he destroyed her! She thrust her hand out and a bar of balefire, gleaming liquid fire, seared the air as it burst from her palm.

* * *

Rand could not leap aside: Min stood right behind him. Frantically trying to seize _Saidin_, he could only watch as the balefire drew ever nearer. Suddenly Lews Therin gave up, a disgruntled and panicked roar echoing in Rand's head. He knew what balefire was as well. Rand raised his hand, but he knew that no shield or power could block balefire, and he dare not move. He channeled, his head swaying and dizzy and sickness pounding in his stomach. An identical bar of white-hot fire burst from his own palm, just as Semirhage's balefire struck him. Balefire met, and the world turned white and misty. Rand could distantly hear the sounds of battle, the ground exploding beneath _damane _and lightning erupting from cloudless skies. Tiny glowing motes flickered and surrounded him as both his balefire and Semirhage's balefire ran through him. The world faded and Rand could hear Min's anguished screams. In Caemlyn, Elayne suddenly gasped out loud and dropped her cup of goat's milk as the bond that she had formed with Rand snapped and withered, before disappearing. In the Aiel Waste, Aviendha suddenly stiffened and let out a scream of anguish as she clutched her head. Sorelia and Amys clamored around her as she fell to the ground, her head shaking dazedly. Perrin and Mat, fellow _ta'veren, _also felt the loss. The colours burst into their vision, mutlicoloured sparks surrounding their minds before fading into a deep blackness that made them shiver.

All Rand could feel was something burning and burning into him. His life flashed before his eyes, his moments of joy in his childhood, his anguish as he left the Two Rivers, his determination to do what he had to do to win, his stony coldness that had kept him sane during his journey. Like the Portal Stones, he suddenly heard a booming voice his head that reeked with smugness and triumph.

**_I HAVE WON AGAIN LEWS THERIN!_**

Rand could only treasure the love he felt for Aviendha, Min and Elayne as he felt himself die. It felt like an eternity, but was probably seconds, as he felt his body burn away. Suddenly he could feel disbelief and shock in the gigantic voice.

**_NO! WHAT IS THIS? NOT EVEN I CAN STEP OUT OF TIME!_**

Colours whirled in his mind; brilliant golden and red sparks that showered his vision. His mind whirled and he could have sworn that he felt a rushing wind as the darkness lifted, and a strong smell of trees and his childhood drifted into his scent as Rand finally shut down

* * *

Rand pounded his fist on his thigh. Snug in the farmhouse, with a fire and blankets, plenty of water and willowbark; he might have been willing to wait for daybreak before hitching Bela and taking Tam into the village. Here was no fire, no blankets, no cart, and no Bela. But those things were still back at the house. If he could not carry Tam to them, perhaps he could bring some of them, at least, to Tam. If the Trollocs were gone at all. They had to go sooner or later.

He looked at the hoe handle, and then dropped it. Instead he drew Tam's sword. The blade gleamed dully in the pale moonlight. The long hilt felt odd in his hand; the weight and heft were strange. He slashed at the air a few times before stopping with a sigh. Slashing at air was easy. If he had to do it against a Trolloc he was surely just as likely to run instead, or freeze stiff so he could not move at all until the Trolloc swung one of those odd swords and... _Stop it! It's not helping anything!_

As he started to rise, Tam caught his arm. "Where are you going?"

"We need the cart," he said gently. "And blankets." He was shocked at how easily he pulled his father's hand from his sleeve. "Rest, and I'll be back."

"Careful," Tam breathed.

He could not see Tam's face in the moonlight, but he could feel his eyes on him. "I will be." _As careful as a mouse exploring a hawk's nest, _he thought.

As silently as another shadow, he slid into the darkness. He thought of all the times he had played tag in the woods with his friends as children, stalking one another, straining not to be heard until he put a hand on someone's shoulder. Somehow he could not, make this seem the same.

Suddenly his vision burst into colour and he let out a loud grunt of pain as his mind bent and snapped. Sparks filled his vision as brilliant light, liquid-white and as hot as any fire, surrounded him. He managed to look down, feeling the searing heat eat away at his body, but no light burnt, no fire was present. Suddenly, he remembered. At once, his stance changed from prey to predator, and Rand raised his hand to prepare a counter-attack against Semirhage.

_What is this? _Lews Therin moaned in his head. The man was confused and bewildered, and as scared as Rand had ever felt him.

Rand ignored him and tried to seize _Saidin. _He failed the first time and could only feel confusion as he tired again, and again. Finally, he grasped it firmly and glanced around as liquid fire pounded into him. Strangely, the dizziness and sickness was gone, but Rand reared in horror as the filthy rancid taint burnt into his bones, filling his mouth with death and decay. Rotten carrion filled his nostrils and Rand swayed, almost losing his stomach on the ground. The Void wavered, but Rand held _Saidin _firmly as he straightened.

_The Wheel, the Great Wheel…Infinity, ever-lasting_, Lews Therin muttered. He fell silent as Rand recognized the farmhouse where he had grown up, just beyond some trees. The moon shone brightly as Rand stared at the sword in his hand and then down at himself. Light! What was happening? He could recognize the brown pants and shirt he wore as what he had worn when he was years younger! And the sword…that had been destroyed long ago! He swiveled his head and spotted Tam lying in the brushes, his eyes closed and breathing deeply, and he could only stare in shock. He remembered this moment. This had been when he had first been dragged from the Two Rivers, when Trollocs had first invaded, when Tam had been stabbed.

_There had been theories, experiments, in turning back the Wheel of Time. _Lews Therin said suddenly. _But no man or women would dare use balefire in such a careless manner…both Light and Shadow had forbidden it. Light, what have I done! What have we done?_

Rand listened closely as Lews Therin wept softly, but the dead man had nothing more to say. Annoyed, Rand blocked him out as he patted down his body. The wound in both his sides, from Padan Fain's dagger and Ba'alzoman's staff, they were both gone. He had never felt better in his life, the constant weariness and aches and pains that he had gotten so used to that they had felt like a part of him, they were all gone. For a single minute, he breathed in deeply and just reveled in the feeling of being alive. He pushed away his shock and confusion and the thousands of questions in his mind and as he gazed upon the farmhouse, he recalled what happened next and his eyes glinted coldly. He strode back to Tam, not caring if anybody heard him. Let the Trollocs come, Rand would welcome them with fire and lightning. Tam was resting, his eyes closed, and Rand grimaced at the wound. He knew no healing weaves; he had never bothered to learn them. But…Moiraine was in the Two Rivers. His heart gave a twinge at the mention of the first women who had ever died because of him, because of his mistakes. But he would not make mistakes now. He channeled slightly, just a touch of spirit, and Tam immediately relaxed as he fell into a deep sleep. A silver and black portal sliced through the ground, spitting a tree in half, which fell to the ground with a loud crash. Beyond the portal, the town of Two Rivers was visible through the small patch of trees that Rand had chosen to form his portal. Some lights still glowed and occasionally one would dim and disappear. The Two Rivers was almost asleep. Rand heaved Tam up, mindful of the views that people had towards _Saidin, _and walked through the portal.

* * *

On the other side, Rand lifted a heavy Tam through the bushes. As he approached the town, he released _Saidin _and the portal merged with the darkness of the night as it disappeared. He made his way through some of the darkened houses, Tam in his arms, until he came to the Inn. Moiraine would be inside, she would be able to heal Tam. Climbing the steps, Rand shouldered his way through the door. Inside, Master al'Vere looked up from the wizened man he was talking to.

"Rand, what are you…?" He started, before he noticed the burden Rand was carrying. "Jorin, fetch the Wisdom! Now!" He boomed out. The man stopped talking and stared at the entrance. He quickly pushed past Rand and sprinted outside as Rand gently dropped his burden onto a couch.

"What happened boy?" Master al'Vere asked as he bustled around the couch, a faded blanket in his hand.

"Monsters," Rand uttered shortly. "With the eyes of humans, and the snouts of goats and ravens and bulls. They had curved swords- Tam called them Trollocs."

Master al'Vere went very still as he gazed at Rand with utter seriousness. "You had better not be jesting," He said softly.

Rand shook his head silently, just as the man and Nynaeve burst into the Inn.

"Where is he?" Nynaeve asked briskly and Master al'Vere gestured to the couch, standing back. Nynaeve wasted no time in any more talk and strode briskly through the room.

"Move Rand," She ordered curtly and Rand stood back as Nynaeve frowned, running her hands over the wound in Tam's side. She flinched as she inspected it, and took a small pouch of herbs she kept and applied them in the mangled flesh. She quickly bound it with a strip of white cloth, but her eyes were sad and her face white.

"What happened?" She demanded as she continued binding.

"A Trolloc stabbed him, just at my farm." Rand answered quietly. Nynaeve glared at him, but her sharp words died and she shifted uncomfortably at the hard and cold look in his eyes and swallowed. Certainty filled his gaze, and Nynaeve shivered as she glanced down.

"I've applied some herbs, but the wound is deep and probably infected. I will need to cut him open, there may be a chance that there may be something still in there." She informed him.

Rand nodded slowly. "Find Moiraine," He ordered as he turned from her and prepared to leave.

"What? Lady Moiraine?" Nynaeve asked incredulously. Her hand tugged on her long braid but Rand, who had stared down Ishmael, the demonic Forsaken, who had cut down Trollocs and Myrddraal and killed so many of the forsaken that he had lost count, easily brushed it aside and strode from the room.

Outside, Rand breathed in deeply as he stared at the sword in his hand. He had long ago reached the level of Blademaster, so he would try to defeat these Trollocs without revealing his power. Moiraine was still an Aes Sedai, no matter what quest she was on, and if she felt that he were a threat…Rand did not want to think of what she might try. He could easily defeat her in terms of skill and power…but could he lift a hand against the women who had died to save him? He thundered down the steps noisily, just a tall and bulky figure sprinted down the streets. Rand tensed, but relaxed as he recognized the armored figure as Lan.

Next to him, a petite woman was concentrating and as Rand made his way towards them, he could feel the goosebumps prickling up on his skin. Suddenly an orb of light surrounded her and the features of Moiraine, dark eyed and short, almost made Rand gasp with shock. Until that moment, Rand had not been sure that this was not a dream of sorts. Lan suddenly shifted and his hand gripped the hilt of his sword as Rand approached.

"It's me, Rand al'Thor." Rand said, watching Lan closely. Inside his head, Lews Therin was strangely silent about Moiraine. Perhaps he remembered her, or perhaps he was still numb over the events, but in any case the man retreated further into his head.

Lan stilled eyed in warily, but Moiraine frowned slightly, her eyes thoughtful.

"What are you doing here?" She murmured, but shook her head and glanced over her shoulder. "Get inside, danger is coming. There are…"

"Trollocs. I know," Rand interrupted and stepped forward closer. The sword in his hand gleamed and Moiraine glanced down at it, her eyes suddenly serious and speculative. "They attacked my father and I as we were going home. Tam beat them off, but he was stabbed."

Moiraine nodded slowly, her eyes flickering over the orb she held in her hands. "Are you not surprised about this?" She asked.

Rand shook his head. "I know a lot of things, Little Sister." He murmured, and as Moiraine frowned Rand inwardly winced. He had to watch his tongue now, even more than he usually did. Rand suddenly felt a vague rotting taste in his mouth and from behind Moiraine, a snarling figure leapt forward. Lan's sword flashed and a loud scream echoed throughout the streets as the still snarling figure died. Moiraine turned around and she raised her hand. Curling in her fingers, she drew back her hand and a fireball erupted as she hurled it through the streets. The flickering flames illuminated the houses around it and for an instance; dozens of dark and bulky creatures were illuminated from the shadows, before the fireball exploded with a loud roar on one of them, blowing the Trolloc apart.

* * *

"What is this?" Somebody demanded as one of the house doors opened, just as a building the other side of town exploded. Rand could feel the wave of heat from where he was standing as flames lit the air until it was like early morning. The Cauthon house burned brightly as men and women clamored from their homes. One of them screamed as the horde of Trollocs descended and for a moment there was chaos as Lan moved forward. His sword flashed as he cut down three in his path, while lightning suddenly struck from the cloudless night. Rand held his sword up as the Trolloc's broke past Lan and Moiraine and approached him. He slid into the forms with a practiced ease, his mind in the Void, and Hummingbird Sings became Slicing the Silk became River of the Rocks, and four Trolloc collapsed as Rand struck forward, his sword biting into throats and past their chain mail. Nearby, he saw old Cenn awkwardly wielding a pitchfork as he kept a Trolloc at bay, and two arrows whistled through the air, biting into another. The Two Rivers quickly became a war zone of men versus Trollocs, with Rand at the center of it. He lost sight of Lan and Moiraine, but lightning flashed through the air at times, and the ground rumbled slightly once. Guttural roars and snarls met desperate and angry yells. Rand wielded his sword just as much as he wielded _Saidin. _His blade bit deep into flesh while invisible blows of air struck at any Trolloc around him. Bodies were piled up against him in the tens, until there were no Trollocs left.

He was standing alone on an empty street, bodies littering the ground. Rand was relieved to find that no humans lay among the corpses, but he could hear the sounds of fighting in the next streets. He sprinted along and peered across a house at the back of a two-dozen or so Trollocs, which were battling against Lan and several Two Rivers men. Moiraine was nowhere in sight, but Rand saw lightning strike further ahead and a plan formed in his mind as it struck again. As it struck for a third time, Rand channeled _Saidin, _and with Moiraine's blast came a dozen of his own in quick succession. The ground rumbled and the air reeked of ozone as Trollocs died where they stood, burnt to crisps and hurled aside at the mighty blast. Rand stopped channeling, leaving only half-a-dozen Trollocs alive, and at that exact moment, Moiraine struck with her lightning again. Lan would think that those blasts had come from her, and he quickly jumped forward as Lan and the Two Rivers men charged forward. For a moment he glimpsed Mat with a quarterstaff and Perrin with his axe among the crowd, and the Trolloc's retreated right onto Rand's blade. Three died before they knew what hit them, and a fourth died when he tried to turn around. The last two were quick to succumb to the sword of the Malkier king. Behind him, seven Two Rivers men, Mat and Perrin included, muttered to each other as Rand approached them.

"Rand," Mat greeted, leaning slightly on his wooden quarterstaff. "Light, it's good to see you…and where did you get that?" He finished, his eyes glued to the blade Rand was holding.

"It's my father's." Rand said, his eyes on Lan, who was gazing at him with a new respect. "Come," The tall man said suddenly. "There are more Trollocs left. Will you join us shepherd? We could use a blade like yours."

Rand nodded and fell in beside Perrin and Mat. For two minutes, the group sprinted until they turned a corner, where the fiercest fighting was going on. From the roofs, Rand could see Ewin and others with longbows, arrows streaking into the air. Trollocs roared and snarled, spurred on by fear, and the men of Two Rivers met them with pitchforks and knives and rusty pikes. Moiraine was in the middle of the fighting; whirling around Trollocs and men, and a black-cloaked figure faced her. Fire spat from her staff and met dark shadows as the Myrddraal hissed angrily, its sword flicking wildly in the burning fires.

Lan surged forward, jumping for Moiraine, and his sword met that of the Myrddraal with a shower of blue sparks. The rest of the group joined their kinsmen and friends, and the Trollocs roared as they were pushed back. Bodies fell, none of them human, but Rand stayed back as Moiraine turned her attentions onto the bestial hordes and Lan was forced to fight two Trollocs simultaneously. The Myrddraal stood unattended and alone, and Rand smiled coldly as he stepped forward. He embraced _Saidin _and the Myrddraal jerked, it's head swiveling around, just as flows of air tightened around it. It flailed about as Rand dragged it to the shadows with his flows. Nobody had seen its capture, but the Trollocs started fighting more and more desperately as a surge of fear and panic flowed through them. Rand raised his sword and with a quick slice, the head of the Myrddraal bounced to the ground, its eyeless face showing shock. The Trollocs howled angrily and broke apart. Any sense of strategy that they had held was gone, and they were slaughtered in minutes as Lan pushed forward, Moiraine by his side. Fire spurted from Moiraine's staff as she hurled it at the retreating Trollocs, while Lan appeared to be in seven places at once, herding the Trolloc away from the houses and into the darkened woods. Rand just hovered over the dead body of the Myrddraal, his hand tightened around his sword. A boy, maybe his age, almost looked as if he would approach him as Two Rivers folk cheered and hollered in their victory, but the cold smile and the dark glint in Rand's eyes made him stay away.

* * *

As the sun came up, tendrils of smoke arose from blackened houses. Men milled around, some still carrying rusty pikes made generations ago, casting wary glances as if they expected the Dark One himself to leap from the shadows and strike them down. Other men and women, carted off Trolloc bodies to the giant bonfires, where they were thrown in without ceremony or regret. Rand was among them, helping Mat and Perrin lift a particularly heavy Trolloc clothed in bulky chain mail. Glazed eyes stared from a face frozen in mid-snarl. Mat grimaced at the sight of the monster, but Perrin moved steadily forward and strained to lift the Trolloc by its arm.

"Light Mat, it's already dead." Perrin muttered. The calmness had always surrounded the Blacksmith until they had left. Rand couldn't remember when Perrin had grown golden eyes, or when his growls of anger sounded like that of wolves. "Unless you would like me to get Kenley to help me…I'm sure he would be impressed,"

Mat grimaced at that, he had never liked Kenley, almost as much as he didn't like old Cenn. Grumbling, he moved forward and with Rand's help, the three of them lifted the bloodied body and dumped it into the cart.

"Rand," Perrin said as the three of them got back on the cart, which was packed with five dead Trollocs. "When did you get so good with a sword?"

Rand said nothing, but offered a small shrug. "Tam is a Blademaster," was all he said. Let them take it as they would, let them assume what they thought was obvious. Rand was right as Perrin nodded as if that explained everything, and Rand could only sit back. Even now, he was resorting to the Game, even in his home village, even when nobody knew who he was. But he would use his friends; he would do anything to keep himself from repeating the past mistakes.

_You are dangerous. _Lews Therin whispered. _But so am I. Everybody I love, killed by hand! Light, why? I was proud, too proud…I thought I could fix what the creator started…pride killed my love…Light! Burn me and let me die!_

Rand shook his head. "Shut up," He muttered angrily to himself.

"What?" Mat asked, a slightly hurt look appearing on his face. "I was just asking if you were alright."

Rand felt a flash of irritation, not for the first time, towards Lews Therin. Light, why couldn't he have gone back to where he had came from? The sickness, the rot had left him, but it seemed that the madness had lived on. "I wasn't talking to you," He muttered. "Just…thinking,"

Mat nodded slowly, casting a wary and concerned look at Rand as he herded the mare towards the large bonfire. Lan was directing the disposal of the bodies, and for a moment Rand observed the older man. He had always counted on Lan as a friend, a companion and a fellow warrior. They were alike in many ways, and Rand let a bitter smile twist his face. Or they were. Lan's face, while hard and chiseled from stone, was not as cold as Rand remembered; his eyes were not as dark with grief as they had been ever since Moiraine died. Even now, Rand felt a twinge of sadness at the mention of Moiraine.

"Are you going to sit there all day?" Mat asked Rand, and he blinked as he scrambled himself from his thoughts. Mat and Perrin were pulling one of the Trolloc bodies off the cart, with the help of Ewin Finngar and…was that Elam Dowtry? Light, it had been so long since he had been in the Two Rivers. He got off the cart and helped the struggling boys, they were just boys really, heave the Trolloc closer to the fire. Heat suffused the air, along with the smell of burnt flesh and Rand could feel his face grow hot, but he did not sweat. He merely ignored the temperature, a mind trick that all Aes Sedai and some soldiers knew, while the others around him gagged at the smell of burning Trolloc. With a grunt he pushed with all of his strength, together with Mat, Perrin, Ewin and Elam. The Trolloc went flying into the flames, and the slight smell of burning flesh just got fresher. Ewin went green and quickly walked away, and while Mat, Perrin and Elam went back to the cart for another one, Rand caught Lan's eye.

The older warrior nodded to him and walked over, his eyes always alert and his walk arrogant and bouncy. Rand knew that Lan could have his sword out in a flash and have killed three Trollocs within the first second. "It is a disgusting job, but it must be done." Lan said calmly.

"Better burning them than letting them rot out in the sun." Rand said, and Lan cocked his head at the cold look in Rand's eyes.

"You wielded the sword very well," Lan remarked quietly. His eyes flickered over the hilt sheathed at Rand's side and Rand knew that they spotted the carved heron. "I though it might have been a heron-mark blade. Only Blademasters, true swordsman of great skill, carry those blades. You said that your father gave it to you?"

Rand nodded silently.

"Strange, to find such a blade in a small village like this," Lan mused softly, his eyes watching Rand very carefully. "And the skill that you wielded, strange that a farmer would have that skill."

"Strange, but not impossible." Rand said wryly. So, Lan did not trust him? Some part of him was slightly saddened, some part would miss the tall and hard man as a friend, as a brother. "My father was a Companion of Illian, he served in the Whitecloak war and the two wars with Tear. He always said that a sword could come in handy, especially if you knew how to use it."

Lan nodded, his brows furrowed slightly. "I have a message for you, from Moiraine. She would ask that you meet her, along with your companions Mat and Perrin, in the Inn. She has some rather starling news that she needs to tell you."

Rand nodded. "I think I already know what it is," He said and turned around, aware of Lan's speculative gaze on his back.

"Light, what does an Aes Sedai want with us?" Mat muttered for what had to be the fifth time. Perrin flanked his side and barley rolled his eyes as together with Rand, they approached the Inn.

"I don't know Mat, that's why we're going to find out." Perrin answered, and Mat scowled in his direction.

Rand was silent, his face brooding and his thoughts wandering.

_They have the nerve to call themselves Aes Sedai. _Lews Therin grumbled in his head. _They are half-trained children; girls who will never be complete without their male half. Their tricks are pitiful! _

_Yes, that is why the little girls overpowered us in Cairhien and shoved us into a crate. _Rand snapped in annoyance, and Lews Therin bristled.

_I was not…Mad, I must be mad. Talking back to the voices that talk to you…but madness is all that I deserve…oh Ilyena…_ Lews Therin faded away, his cries of grief just beginning to ring in Rand's head.

* * *

"What's happening?" Perrin asked, a little in wonder and a little in dread. Rand lifted his eyes and noticed that they had arrived at the Inn, where a crowd of angry villagers stood with torches and pitchforks. In the center, invisible winds blew back Moiraine's hair and her staff blazed with fire, her eyes dark and mysterious and her voice low and chilling. Rand could feel the goosebumps as Moiraine channeled _Saidar, _and she appeared to be as tall as a tree to everybody else. What had Lews Therin called it? Mirror of Mists?

"…Never again did Manetheren rise. Its soaring spires and splashing fountains became as a dream that slowly faded from the minds of its people. But they, and their children, and their children's children, held the land that was theirs. They held it when the long centuries had washed the why of it from their memories. They held it until, today, there is you. Weep for Manetheren. Weep for what is lost forever."

The fires on Moiraine's staff winked out, and she lowered it to her side as if it weighed a hundred pounds. For a long moment the moan of the wind was the only sound. Then Paet al'Caar shouldered past the Coplins.

"I don't know about your story," the long-jawed farmer said. "I'm no thorn to the Dark One's foot, nor ever likely to be, neither. But my Wil is walking because of you, and for that I am ashamed to be here. I don't know if you can forgive me, but whether you will or no, I'll be going. And for me, you can stay in Emond's Field as long as you like."

With a quick duck of his head, almost a bow, he pushed back through the crowd. Others began to mutter then, offering shamefaced penitence before they, too, slipped away one by one. The Coplins, sour-mouthed and scowling once more, looked at the faces around them and vanished into the night without a word. Bill Congar had disappeared even before his cousins.

* * *

Rand watched as the crowd dispersed, some throwing shameful looks at Moiraine, who merely stared impassively back at them. She caught sight of Rand, Mat and Perrin and her eyes flashed with something, maybe determination, as she approached them. Her dark eyes bore into Rand's head; eyes that had made him dance to her song long ago, eyes that appeared in his mind as a sign of his guilt, his failure. He fidgeted; avoiding her gaze and saw Perrin and Mat do the same thing for a different reason.

"So, you are the three." Moiraine said with an air of satisfaction. "I thought you might be."

"What are we?" Mat asked, and swallowed nervously as Moiraine smiled slowly.

"You are the three that the Shadow came for last night," Moiraine answered simply.

Mat flinched as if he had been struck and even the calm Perrin swayed on his feet.

"T-That's ridiculous!" Mat scoffed.

"Is it? Did you know that three houses were targeted specifically last night?" Moiraine asked idly. "The al'Thor farm, the Aybara farm and your house. Three targets among a chaotic raid that Trollocs took the time to attack first before having their fun."

"Is it that…that black-cloaked man?" Perrin asked hesitantly. "We all saw this man, with a black cloak on a horse. When he looked at us…it was as if he hated us with all of his being, that he would not rest until he had hunted us down and killed us."

"You saw a Myrddraal? When?"

"A Fade?" Mat spat out in shock. "But…they're twenty foot tall with fire for eyes and…" He trailed off as Moiraine shook her head.

"They are exaggerated stories made up by people who have never seen them before. But they are no less dangerous. If I had known…I would have bought a dozen sisters, even if I had to drag them by the scruff of their necks." Moiraine muttered to herself. "I wish I knew who had killed it last night, but in the chaos nobody seemed to see what happened, save that the Myrddraal lost its head."

"You want us to leave." Rand said bluntly, ignoring the way Moiraine's eyes washed over him as she mentioned the Myrddraal. oh, she was suspicious alright. Truth be told, he was getting tired of this conversation and acting like he did not know what was happening. "In case they come back for us, you want us to leave so that the Two Rivers is safe."

Moiraine eyed him thoughtfully as Mat and Perrin gaped at her. "Yes," She answered at last. "It would be best if we traveled to Tar Valon. I do not know why they shadow want you, thought I have a suspicion. In any case, what the Shadow wants is what I will keep out of its grips."

"I'll prepare my horse." Rand said abruptly and left, not noticing Mat and Perrin's eyes go wide with astonishment at his apparent acceptance, or Moiraine's eyes narrow in careful thought and speculation.

_She is Aes Sedai. They are not to be trusted…but she might be trustworthy. She did kill Lanfear…_ Lews Therin muttered.

* * *

A single lantern, its shutters half closed, hung from a nail on a stall post, casting a dim light. Deep shadows swallowed most of the stalls. As Rand came through the doors from the stable yard, thirty minutes after his meeting with Moiraine, he did not fail to miss Egwene, hiding in the shadows. She looked strangely innocent, with her braid done up and her dark eyes fathomless and deep.

_Aes Sedai! _Lews Therin snarled, but he was confused.

_No, not yet. _Rand told him, as Egwene stepped from the shadows, her eyes narrowed at him.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" She asked softly. "Don't deny it, I heard you and Moiraine Sedai talking near the Inn."

Rand nodded and Egwene planted her hands on her hips. "And you weren't going to tell me?" She demanded, a slightly hurt tone in her voice.

Rand shook his head. "I saw you listening in Egwene," He explained. "You're coming with us, aren't you?"

Egwene dropped her mouth open in surprise, shock flooding her face. For a second, Rand relished the moment in making the stubborn and infuriating Aes Sedai…future Aes Sedai…be complete flabbergasted, just as Moiraine walked, Lan in front with his hand on his sword. Mat and Perrin trailed after him, and they all blinked at the sight of Egwene. Mat's lips curled up in a suggestive smile, but Rand walked past Egwene and saddled his mare.

"She's coming with us," He said.

Mat's lips quickly formed into a shocked and disbelieving look as Rand got on his horse and dulled out the background noises. He needed to form plans…the Forsaken were bound for the moment, but they would soon be free. But Rand had the advantage this time, he had knowledge and he knew how to use the Power just as well as they did. What should he do first? Firstly…he would stay with Moiraine until Shadar Logoth. Mat would never get the dagger, he would be careful about that. And Padan Fain…he would kill him as soon as he saw him. That was two problems out of the way…

"Rand, we're going!" Mat called out and Rand blinked, seeing that everybody was on a horse, including Egwene. His lips curled into a dangerous smile as he led his horse out of the stables, his mind abuzz.

* * *

**A/N- Just to make sure, nobody has seen Rand channel.**


	2. Away from Two Rivers

**A/N- We all know that Taim is a Darkfriend, Rand does not. **

**Also, this is going slow at first but I cannot possible write all of the books in a different way, it would take years. So while this is sort of slow, it has to pick up in a few chapters and some events will have to be told in passing.

* * *

**

They rode all day; they passed beyond the last farmhouses on the outskirts of the village and into the countryside, paralleling the North Road that led to Taren Ferry. As they left the last farmhouses and crop fields, Moiraine stiffened and straightened as the sound of another horse could be heard. Lan twisted on his seat and his sword appeared from his scabbard in a blur of light, his eyes cold and his face deadly. Rand twisted his head and couldn't suppress a small smile. Thom had appeared on his horse, riding it quite quickly. His long beard and moustache hid his mouth, and his eyes were crinkled as he came closer and slowed his horse to a trot.

"Ah, I suppose I should not be surprised to see you leaving." Thom told Moiraine, eyeing Lan carefully. "Put that away Warder, I do not mean you harm."

"Why do you follow us Master Gleeman?" Lan asked sharply, his sword never wavering as he watched Thom like a shepherded watches a wolf, or an Aiel a wetlander of a Paaran Disen citizen a merchant from across the World Sea…

_I was born in Paaran Disen, and those merchants always looked so smug and…_ Lews Therin started, almost pleasantly. Suddenly shock, disbelief and anger roared through him. _Who are you? What are you doing here? Wait…I remember…I remember it all! No! Light, No!_

Rand shook his head, as if it would drive away the voice of madness, and watched Moiraine and Thom carefully. Next to him, Egwene moved closer and Rand had to suppress a grimace. Once, long ago, he had loved Egwene and she had loved him. They had been intended for each other since they were children, and they would have gotten married if they had both not left the Two Rivers, just as he was doing again. Rand had found his destiny, his burden, and new loves, while Egwene had found her destiny, as Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, and possible new love as well. Elayne had told him that Egwene had seemed quite taken with Gawyn.

"Master Merrilin," Moiraine said, "we must go quickly, and almost certainly in great danger. The Trollocs are still out there, and we go by night. Are you sure that you want to travel with us?"

Thom eyed the lot of them with a quizzical smile. "If it is not too dangerous for the girl, it can't be too dangerous for me. Besides, what gleeman would not face a little danger to perform in Tar Valon?"

"Is this part as the pattern as well, Moiraine?" Lan asked, a touch bitterly and sounding like a man who was becoming annoyed at the way events spiraled from his control.

"Everything is part of the pattern Lan," Moiraine answered mysteriously, and her eyes blazed with something that all of the boys caught. Mat edged sideways and muttered something under his breath, while Perrin looked apprehensive. Rand ignored Moiraine and instead noticed the way Egwene was edging not back but closer to Moraine. Something in her eyes made Rand want to smile, and curse, both at the same time. Egwene had just become trapped in the mysteries of Aes Sedai.

"We must ride hard," Moiraine said abruptly and motioned for Thom to join them.

"Of course," Thom said, knuckling his moustache, and his eyes twinkled for a second as he joined the group.

* * *

Moiraine set a hard pace and Rand could see Perrin, Mat and eve Egwene dropping in their saddles as the day went on. Rand himself was alert and awake as he was ever going to be. There were so many things to do that he barely knew where to start. Firstly, he needed to cleanse _Saidin. _That was his main goal, if he could do that then he could gather the Asha'man, and Logain and maybe even Taim, and he would have one of the most powerful armies in the world. To cleanse _Saidin, _he would need the access keys at Rhuidean. But wards and shields protected the ancient city, and to skim there would mean that he would have to break at least some of those wards. Any Wise One who could channel within a hundred leagues would feel them shatter, and he could not afford making enemies with the Aiel. They would be his greatest warriors.

And if he did do it anyway, if he did gain possession of the Access Keys, then what was to happen? He alone would use the male _sa'angreal, _the gigantic statue half-buried in Cairhien, but who would use the female _sa'angreal? _Nynaeve was not with them, not yet anyway, and even when she did arrive, she had no experience in channelling. It might take a year for Nynaeve to have the proper focus, and Rand could not afford to wait that long. He supposed he could ask Moiraine, but that would mean telling her what he knew and that was too dangerous at the moment. If Moiraine got the idea that Rand was far more in control than she liked, she would not hesitate in dragging him to Tar Valon against his will…or at least, she would try.

* * *

As the sunset and night drifted over the sky, stars twinkled and the moon emerged from cloudy skies. Moiraine finally allowed them to stop and Mat staggered off his saddle and flopped to the ground, his eyes half-closed in exhaustion. Perrin was little better, while Egwene had drifted closer to Thom, who was holding her gently as she slumped sideways, her eyes closed and her breathing deep. Only Moiraine, Lan, Thom and Rand looked as if they had just woken up. For Rand, he wrapped himself tightly in the Void but did not embrace _Saidin, _if a Myrddraal was nearby then there was a chance that it would sense him. A faint sense of tiredness skittled outside the Void, but Rand swatted it away easily. Unfortunately, in the Void, Lews Therin was easier to hear.

_The night sky is beautiful, but the views from the Shoram were better._ Lews Therin grumbled, almost like a petulant child.

_The Two Rivers night sky is the most beautiful sky in the entire world._ Rand interjected as he got off his horse, stretching his muscles and observing Lan helping Moiraine off hers. _Caemlyn, Tear, Cairhien, Rhuidean; none of them has quite the same look as the Two Rivers_

Lews Therin made a rumbling noise of agreement. _The Shoram is still better._

Rand could suddenly see a city, the night sky bright and clear as the full moon lit up the many fountains and _Chora _trees, where strange buildings made from some kind of sandstone coloured metal were built around a large building, easily bigger than the Stone of Tear. On every street, bulbs of light…glowbulbs, cast a mystic glow and hovering in the air was an enormous metal sphere, lights blinking from it, as it remained motionless, and a league off the ground as least. The stars were almost identical to the ones Rand was now seeing, and Rand could see a man and a golden haired woman embrace on the top of the sphere, the Shoram, moonlight and starshine the only witness to the testament of their love.

_Oh Ilyena, _Lews Therin said, but his voice was filled with longing, sorrow and absolute despair as he faded away.

"Rand, are you alright? Light, you're crying!" Egwene exclaimed softly, her hand coming up to smooth away his hair. Rand blinked, feeling a pearly teardrop drip down his cheek and wiped his eyes furiously. Damn Lews Therin! He did not have time for mourning a woman dead three thousand years! He turned to Egwene, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

"I'm fine," He said irritably. "Just dust in my eyes."

"You don't have to lie Rand," Egwene said, coming closer. Her face was almost touching his, and Rand stepped backwards.

"I'm not," He said shortly, and far more in annoyance than he should have, for Egwene's eyes glinted.

Egwene snorted, her hair shining in the moonlight. "Men! You think it's shameful if you just bare your emotions for once. Rand, you can be such a woolhead sometimes."

Rand said nothing, his face was blank, and Egwene growled irritably as she lost the peace of the moment. Suddenly a faint taste of dead meat, rotten and spoilt, death and decay, came into Rand's senses, just as Egwene gasped, her face going white as she pointed behind him.

"Moiraine!" She shouted, but the Aes Sedai had just raised a hand, and Rand's arm covered in goosebumps as he spun around. A Draghkar stood there, almost man-like with thick lips and gleaming human eyes that only spoke of animal intelligence. Two large bat-like wings sprouted for its back, the rest of its body was covered in shadows and blackness. It opened its mouth and Rand closed his eyes, gripping the Void as hard as he ever had as a crooning, soft and low, melodious and so seductive, washed over the area. He could faintly see Lan drop his sword, his eyes glazing over, and Moiraine clutch her head. Thom had his hands over his ears, but his wrinkled face showed absolute terror, while Mat and Perrin were slowly moving towards the creature.

The song washed the Void, threatening to disrupt the emotionless centre of Rand's mind. For a moment, it wobbled dangerously, and _Saidin _glowed brighter than ever. Rand frowned, muttering something rude under his breath. He could feel terror in his mind, Lews Therin, and suddenly the madman scrambled for _Saidin._

_NO! _Rand sent a wordless shout at him, but Lews Therin ignored him and Rand struggled to wrest for _Saidin. _He was dimly aware of taking another step forward, and another, and the Draghkar raised an arm, as if to grab him. As Lews Therin mounted a desperate attempt to grab the Power, years of training and sword drills leapt from Rand's mind, and before he knew it his sword was out of its scabbard and buried in the Draghkar's chest. The Void suddenly stabilised and Rand shoved Lews Therin away from _Saidin _with all his might, staggering back as the song of the Draghkar ended abruptly.

Moiraine stopped clutching her head, her eyes smouldering angrily and coldness twisted on her face, while Lan quickly picked up his sword, his face reflecting his determination and anger at himself for not being as wary as he could have been. Mat and Perrin blinked, seemingly confused, and while Egwene shook out of her stupor, Thom moved his hands from his ears, just a shrill and painful shriek erupted from the Draghkar. It was loud and extremely high in pitch, searing Rand's eardrums with its awful song as the Draghkar thrashed.

Rand pulled his sword from the shadowspawn and with an easy movement, sliced off its head. It fell to the ground, bouncing slightly and black blood pooled around it as the headless corpse crumpled, twitching slightly as it folded up on itself. Sheathing his sword, he turned to the others.

"A Draghkar, here. Trollocs and Myrddraal are hard enough, but this would have flown from the Blight." Moiraine muttered, her eyes staring at the ruined creature. Lan still had his sword out, but looked almost ashamed at being caught off-guard.

"What's a Draghkar?" Mat asked quietly.

"In the War of Power, worse things than Trollocs and Halfmen were made." Thom answered, and Perrin shivered.

"We should get moving," Lan said quietly. His eyes flickered to Rand, and grudging approval flickered in them. "Good work, shepherd."

Rand said nothing, but gently led Egwene away from the body, leading her to her horse.

* * *

The rest of the night passed without incident. Moiraine had used the power to confuse any trackers that may have been following them. She was certain that the Draghkar would not have revealed itself unless it had reported their location to a Myrddraal. So as Moiraine threw up her wards and fog, Rand channelled briefly, twisting complex flows of air, spirit and fire, and smiling slightly. Lews Therin had known this weave, it would cause havoc on Trolloc noses and make them believe that fresh meat was all around them. Hopefully they would kill many of their own kind before the Myrddraal gained control again.

* * *

In the morning, they had crossed the Taren Ferry and stopped for a short rest at the other side. Moiraine was talking to Egwene about the One Power, while Mat and Perrin listened in, Mat flinching, mostly at key words such as Aes Sedai, Power, _Saidin _and _Saidar, _and mostly everything Moiraine actually said. While Thom was content to play a quiet tune on his flute, Lan moved over to where Rand was watching the skies closely.

"Most men would have not been able to resist the call of a Draghkar." Lan said softly. His face was like stone, but his eyes were considerably softer. "I had heard that the men from the Two Rivers could be stubborn, but I had not known the extent of that until last night."

"We could make a boulder seem flexible," Rand said, and a faint grin came to his face. Who had it been that had said that? Was it Nynaeve?

Lan snorted slightly. "You are something, Rand al'Thor," He said, almost fondly. "A true blood of Manetheren for sure,"

"You mean I can become an Aes Sedai?" Egwene shrieked loudly, and she jumped up with joy and happiness of her face. "Rand! I'm going to become an Aes Sedai!"

Rand watched impassively, while Mat looked horrified.

"Egwene, you really are a fool!" Mat exclaimed loudly. "No, don't look at me like that! Light, haven't you heard of the stories about Aes Sedai?" Immediately, he threw a wary glance at Moiraine, but she was just watching the proceedings calmly.

Egwene sniffed, throwing her head back in the air. "I highly doubt that they are true," She said.

"All stories have a line of truth in them, you just need to dig deep enough," Thom mumbled from his flute, and met Moiraine's gaze calmly.

"If you weren't such a light-brained fool, you would see what you are doing is wrong!" Mat started angrily. "An Aes Sedai? Blood and Ashes Egwene, you want to go to Tar Valon? You want to meet Darkfriends, like the stories?"

"Moiraine is not a Darkfriend! She saved our village, Light Mat!" Egwene snapped angrily.

"Are you trying to draw the Trollocs closer?" Lan demanded softly, but his words had a bite to them.

Mat and Egwene blinked, and suddenly realised that they were the centre of attention. Egwene coloured and Mat threw an uneasy look towards Moiraine, who stood up silently, her face unreadable.

"The Dark One is after you three, one or all, and if I let you go running off wherever you want to so, he will take you. Whatever the Dark One wants, I oppose, so hear this and know it true. Before I let the Dark One have you, I will destroy you myself." Moiraine said quietly.

Mat gulped and Perrin twitched, but Rand's face went stony and for a moment he was itching to reach for _Saidin._

_She dares threaten me? _Lews Therin's voice was incredulous. _The half-trained child thinks she can destroy me?_

Moiraine eyed Mat down, then Perrin, and both flinched, but Rand stood tall and when Moiraine stared into his eyes, he stared back. Let her try to destroy him!

"Get on your horses. We are several days from Baerlon, and I want to reach it before the week is up." Moiraine ordered quietly.

As Rand got on his horse, he frowned slightly. He had forgotten how manipulative Moiraine could be. Still, once they had gotten past Shadar Logoth, then Rand could start his plans.


	3. Baerlon and Nynaeve

**A/N- Rand only said that he would try to stop Mat from taking the dagger…but we all know that plans can sometimes be disrupted.

* * *

**

The journey to Baerlon took almost a week. Lan muttered about the laggardness of their travel, but it was he who set the pace and forced the rest to keep it. With himself and his stallion, Mandarb - he said it meant "Blade" in the Old Tongue - he was not so sparing. The Warder covered twice as much ground as they did, galloping ahead, his color-shifting cloak swirling in the wind, to scout what lay before them, or dropping behind to examine their backtrail. Any others who tried to move at more than a walk, though, got cutting words on taking care of their animals, biting words on how well they would do afoot if the Trollocs did appear. Not even Moiraine was proof against his tongue if she let the white mare pick up her step.

_(The Eye of the World, Book 1, Robert Jordan)

* * *

_

During this week, Moiraine watched all three of the young men carefully. Atop her saddle, her dark eyes scanned all of them, scrutinizing every action they made. Perrin was a timid man; Moiraine knew that for a fact. He was quiet, calm and usually a voice of reason for the more mischievous Mat. Moiraine didn't know at times if she wanted to laugh at some of his antics, or strangle him with her bare hands. His tongue was sharp and he held no respect for herself of Lan, though he was wary of them, wary as a sheep might be of a stranger. But the older boy, older if only by a few days, Rand…now there was a mystery.

When Moiraine had first met him, she had immediately spotted his looks. The reddish-brown hair and the gray eyes, they made Rand out as an Aielman. Moiraine knew that it was barely possible that the one she was seeking for was not him- the prophecies said that the Dragon would be reborn on the slopes of Dragonmount, and twenty years ago to this date, she had witness the last battle of the Aiel War and the former Keeper of Chronicles prophecies that the Dragon had been reborn. With the fact that Tam had served in the Aiel War and had been present at the last battle…Rand was most likely the one she was searching for. It came to a complete surprise that he had two _ta'veren _friends, even if they were not as strong as he was.

But the boy she had met the in the sunlight before Winternight, he had not been the same boy that traveled with her now. The coin that she had given him was useless, the complex wars and weavings of Power on it no more use at gauging the boy than directly asking him would be. Moiraine had noticed the tense face; the stony expressions and the hard look in his eyes, hard enough to rival that of Lan. The boy had changed that night, and Moiraine hated to admit it but she had no idea why. It might have been the Trollocs, but that would not explain a sword skill to rival a Blademaster, or his quiet acceptance of what was happening, or his slips of tongue, where he used terminology and words Moiraine had only read in manuscripts thousands of years old.

She eyed the boy again, and was not surprised when those cool gray eyes met hers firmly. Unlike his kith, he did not flinch or lower his eyes, and the hard and burning determination and purpose in his eyes was enough to make her avert her gaze, just as Lan rode up from his scouting, hooves pounding in the ground. Mat shifted on his saddle, his bow loaded with an arrow, as it had been since the Draghkar. Again another mystery, how had a farmer been able to break through the song when ever herself had been not.

"Baerlon is only an hours ride from here," Lan reported quietly. "There is nothing different than usual, rather, nothing that I can see."

Moiraine nodded. "Then we go," She declared. She resisted the urge to gaze at Rand one last time and firmed herself. Once the boy was back in Tar Valon, then the hard journey would begin. Under the guidance of the Tower, the boy would become a man, then a ruler, then a King, and he would lead the forces of light at the final battle. All she had to do was to bring him to the Tower, and then she would not be alone in her quest.

* * *

A log wall, nearly twenty feet tall, surrounded the town, with wooden watchtowers scattered along its length. Within, roof- tops of slate and tile glinted with the sinking sun, and feathers of smoke drifted upward from chimneys. Hundreds of chimneys. There was not a thatched roof to be seen. A broad road ran east from the town, and another west, each with at least a dozen wagons and twice as many ox-carts trudging toward the palisade. Farms lay scattered about the town; thickest to the north while 6nly a few broke the forest to the south. It was bigger than Emond's Field and Watch Hill and Deven Ride all put together, and maybe Taren Ferry as well.

"Light!" Mat breathed, leaning forward in his saddle and staring intently towards the town. "It's huge!"

"A real city!" Perrin muttered, and Thom snorted.

"A city!' He muttered, smoothing his moustache and ignoring the looks Mat and Perrin gave him.

Moiraine stared impassively at the city and turned her head to Rand. "What do you think of Baerlon?" She asked quietly. Next to her, Egwene also looked amazed at the town, and Rand had to stop himself from imitating Thom and snorting.

"It's bigger than the Two Rivers," He said flatly.

Moiraine nodded, but her eyes never changed. "The journey is only beginning. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel turns. The danger begins again here. Watch what you say within those walls. Above all, do not mention Trollocs, or Halfmen, or any such. You must not even think of the Dark One. Some in Baerlon have even less love for Aes Sedai than do the people of Emond's Field, and there may even be Darkfriends." Egwene gasped, and Perrin muttered under his breath. Mat's face paled, but Moiraine went on calmly. "We must attract as little attention as possible." Lan was exchanging his cloak of shifting greys and greens for one of dark brown, more ordinary, though of fine cut. His colorchanging cloak made a large bulge in one of his saddlebags.

"We do not go by our own names here," Moiraine continued. "Here I am known as Alys, and Lan is Andra. Remember that. Good. Let us be within the walls before night catches us. The gates of Baerlon are closed from sundown to sunrise."

* * *

Lan led the way down the hill and through the woods toward the log wall. The road passed half a dozen farms-none lay close, and none of the people finishing their chores seemed to notice the travelers ending at heavy wooden gates bound with wide straps of black iron. They were closed tight, even if the sun was not down yet. Lan rode close to the wall and gave a tug to a frayed rope hanging down beside the gates. A bell clanged on the other side of the wall. Abruptly a wizened face under a battered cloth cap peered down suspiciously from atop the wall, glaring between the cut-off ends of two of the logs, a good three spans over their heads.

"What's all this, eh? It's too late in the day to be opening this gate. Too late, I say. Go around to the Whitebridge Gate if you want to - " Moiraine's mare moved out to where the man atop the wall had a clear view of her. Suddenly his wrinkles deepened in a gap-toothed smile, and he seemed to quiver between speaking and doing his duty. "I didn't know it was you, mistress. Wait. I'll be right down. Just wait. I'm coming. I'm coming."

The head dipped out of sight, but Rand could still hear muffled shouts for them to stay where they were, that he was coming. With great creaks of disuse, the right-hand gate slowly swung outward. It stopped when open just wide enough for one horse to pass through at a time, and the gatekeeper poked his head into the gap, flashed his half-toothless smile at them again and darted back out of the way. Moiraine followed Lan through, with Egwene right behind her.

_Like a faithful dog heeding the call of her Mistress_. Lews Therin muttered, and Rand couldn't stop a small smile from coming through, even thought he felt he should be even a little bit insulted on Egwene's behalf. But Egwene had been just as manipulative in some ways as Moiraine, and had always insulted him and his decisions. And he could not forget that she was once Amyrlin Seat…and he trusted no Aes Sedai, save for Elayne and Nynaeve, not even Egwene.

* * *

Rand hardly noticed Lan leading them down the streets, until he looked up and recognized the Inn in front of him as the Stag and Lion. Suddenly his heart ached and his mouth went dry. Min was here, he remembered that much of Baerlon. Light! Rand's mind was a whirling as Lan abruptly led them into a small and dirty street, and turned right. No sooner had they come well into the stable yard than three men in dirty canvas aprons appeared at the huge stable's broad, arched doors. One, a wiry fellow and the only one without a manure fork in his hands, came forward waving his arms.

"Here! Here! You can't come in that way! You'll have to go round the front!"

Lan's hand went to his purse again, but even as it did another man, as big around as Master al'Vere, came hurrying out of the inn. Puffs of hair stuck out above his ears, and his sparkling white apron was as good as a sign proclaiming him the innkeeper.

"It's all right, Mutch," the newcomer said. "It's all right. These folk are expected guests. Take care of their horses, now. Good care."

Mutch sullenly knuckled his forehead, and then motioned his two companions to come help.

The Innkeeper turned to Moiraine. He gave her a deep bow, and spoke with a genuine smile.

"Welcome, Mistress Alys. Welcome. It's good to be seeing you, you and Master Andra, both. Very good. Your fine conversation has been missed. Yes, it has. I must say I worried, you going downcountry and all. Well, I mean, at a time like this, with the weather all crazy and wolves howling right up to the walls in the night." Abruptly he slapped both hands against his round belly and shook his head.

"Here I go on like this, chattering away, instead of taking you inside. Come. Come. Hot meals and warm beds, that's what you'll be wanting. And the best in Baerlon are right here. The very best. "

"And hot baths, too, I trust, Master Pitch?" Moiraine said, and Egwene echoed her fervently

"Baths?" the innkeeper said. "Why, just the best and the hottest in Baerlon. Come. Welcome to the Stag and Lion. Welcome to Baerlon."

* * *

That night, Rand dreamed. He was in a stone hallway, with darkness stretching everywhere. From where he was standing, both ends of the hallway seemed to pulse with darkness, except a simple wooden door that Rand opened. Inside, a fire roared and flickered over the shadows as a man leant on a chair by the fireplace, his head down.

Dressed in dark clothes of a fine cut, he seemed in the prime of his maturity, and Rand supposed women would have found him good-looking. "Once more we meet face-to-face," the man said and, just for an instant, his mouth and eyes became openings into end- less caverns of flame. Rand flinched, though at his own stupidity rather than the sight. He had forgotten to ward his dreams! Light, he had placed the ward on himself so long ago that he had completely forgotten about it…and now that he was back at the start of all the things, Ishmael was still alive, and dropping into dreams. But maybe it was for the best…if Ishmael knew that he could block him, then he would increase efforts to find Rand, maybe even to kill him.

Ishmael must have taken Rand's silence for fear, because he looked satisfied as he gestured to the table.

"You seem thirsty," He said. "Drink." On the table was a goblet, shining gold and ornamented with rubies and amethysts.

"I'm not thirsty," Rand refused straightaway, and the disappointment could not have been plainer on Rand's face.

_BETRAYER OF HOPE! _Lews Therin roared, and Rand felt a fury far greater than his own surge through him, burning his bones and heating his blood. _DESTROY HIM!_

The man frowned, cocking his head. His eyes roared with fire and his smiled twisted. "Do you know who I am?"

Rand didn't say a word, and the man continued. "I am Ba'alzamon!"

"BETRAYER OF HOPE!" Lews Therin roared, through Rand, and for a second Rand wavered as Lews Therin fought for his body, _Saidin _beckoning. Rand fought back, quickly smashing Lews Therin away, and seized _Saidin, _fighting the chaotic power and clutching it tightly as the man reared, shock on his face.

"I am…" He trailed off, a confused look on his face. He shook his head, and the burning eyes returned. "I am Ba'alzamon you fools! Yes, I can sense you both! You thought you could hide from me? You were wrong Lews Therin!" He took a step away from the fireplace, his eyes roaring with searing heat, his face twisted and burnt, a fiery glow burning from his mouth.

"Burn you Elan Morin Tedronai!" Rand snapped angrily, but frowned and shook his head dazedly. Power thrummed within him, searing heat that coursed through his veins. Life was suddenly much more brighter and livelier, but a rotting and gagging taint flowed through him as much as _Saidin, _burning to his very bones and the inner core of his mind, trying to twist and change and destroy him.

"Do you think the Eye of the World will serve you?" Ba'alzamon asked mockingly, taking another step and raising his hand. Black leather covered his outstretched fingers, and for a moment his face was a perfect portrait of madness and insanity, his eyes wide and his mouth twisted in a crazy smile, wide and crooked. The flames that were eyes glittered with black sparks. "Do you think you can bind it to yourself?"

"Your half-insane," Rand said in disgust. He stood, almost as if he were unconcerned, but inside he fought the battle thrice against _Saidin, _the taint, and the mutterings of Lews Therin, who Rand blocked out with a long-practiced ease. "And less human than that."

Ba'alzoman's hand flickered, dark tendrils of shadows and flames shot out from his palm. But Rand was quicker, and weaving a net of _Saidin, _threw up the ward to protect his dreams. Something snapped and the last thing Rand heard as the world fell to darkness was Ba'alzoman's mad laughter.

Rand gasped and shot upright on bed, shaking his head and panting as if he had just run a league without rest. He glanced around at the darkened room, but nothing leapt for him from the shadows, no Darkfriends or Trollocs or Myrddraal or Forsaken. To be sure, Rand seized _Saidin _and with a delicate touch, he spun wards that would block and kill any Shadowspawn, and wards to warn Rand if anybody came into his room. Any male channeler would feel that from a mile away, but the Forsaken were still bound, save for Ishmael and he knew where Rand was already. Rand closed his eyes after he was done and tried to get back to sleep, forming the Void and pushing his emotions away. It didn't work so well.

* * *

The next morning, Rand awoke early and took some breakfast from the Inn kitchens. Outside, he stretched his arms and legs and leant against the wall, watching the steady stream of people come to and from the street. He supposed Moiraine and Lan were already up, and as he stood there he did not fail to hear the women creeping up behind him. He tensed slightly, almost about to seize _Saidin, _where she spoke.

"A shepherd with a heron-mark sword," said a low, woman's voice. "That's almost enough to make me believe anything. What trouble are you in, downcountry boy?"

Rand turned around, his heart racing but his face blank. It was the crop-haired young woman who had been with Moiraine when he came out of the bath chamber, still dressed in a boy's coat and breeches. She was a little older than he was, he thought, with dark eyes, and Rand couldn't help but break a smile at the sight of her. Min…it was Min! At that moment, all he wanted to do was to grab her and hold her, but he restrained himself.

_Light! _Lews Therin breathed. _What did I do to Ilyena? Was it worth the love I received, to see her die by my hand?_

"You are Rand, aren't you?" she went on. "My name is Min."

"I am Rand, like you said." Rand said, wiping the smile off his face. Light, she was as beautiful now as she had been before. But…Min didn't know him here, so he kept himself in check.

"You're the one that came with Moiraine," Min said as moved closer, standing next to Rand.

"It's not wise to say that name out loud," Rand cautioned.

"Mistress Alys, then, if you prefer," Min said with an amused look. "There's no one close enough to hear."

"How did you know Mistress Alys had another name?" Rand

"Because she told me," Min said. "Not that she had a choice, I suppose. I saw she was . . . different . . . right away. When she stopped here before, on her way downcountry. She knew about me. I've talked to . . . others like her before."

"'Saw'?" Rand said, just as he had before when he had first met Min.

"Well, I don't suppose you'll go running to the Children. Not considering who your traveling companions are. The Whitecloaks wouldn't like what I do any more than they like what she does."

"I don't understand." Rand said automatically, though he knew the answer already.

"She says I see pieces of the Pattern. " Min gave a little laugh and shook her head. "Sounds too grand, to me. I just see things when I look at people, and sometimes I know what they mean. I look at a man and a woman who've never even talked to one another, and I know they'll marry. And they do. That sort of thing. She wanted me to look at you. All of you together. "

Rand nodded calmly. " And what did you see?"

"When you're all in a group? Sparks swirling around you, thousands of them, and a big shadow, darker than midnight. It's so strong; I almost wonder why everybody can't see it. The sparks are trying to fill the shadow, and the shadow is trying to swallow the sparks." She shrugged. "You are all tied together in something dangerous, but I can't make any more of it."

Rand was silent for a moment, and Min considered him. "You're taking this better than most people I tell do," She said, a touch bitterly.

"You've told other people?" Rand asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Once, when I was seven. I didn't know what I was seeing; I thought everybody saw what I see. So I told a man that he would marry a woman that was shopping by a different stall. The thing was, the man was married so when he did marry the woman- who he'd been having an affair with, a week later, his wife gathered a crowd and came to my Aunt's house to kill me for using my 'wicked Aes Sedai' powers." Min said. She laughed lightly as she continued. "Luckily my Aunt convinced them that I had overheard the two of them talking earlier on in the day, and they left. I've never told another person again."

"But you told me," Rand said quietly, and she considered that.

"I don't know," Min said honestly. "I see a lot of things around you but I can't interpret most of it. Maybe something I've seen is telling me that I can trust you. All I know is, that we'll meet again one day."

* * *

Later on, Rand explored the town, one of his main goals flickered at the edge of his Void. He did not seize _Saidin, _any Myrddraal in range would sense him and would bring trouble down upon him, but he narrowed his eyes as he searched the streets of Baerlon for Padan Fain. He remembered the last time he met the man, Rand had been concerned over Fain's dirty appearance, but now only a grim determination had filled him. He was going to find Fain, and kill him, even if it took him all day.

_Kill the tainted one! _Lews Therin howled. Clearly he remembered Padan Fain and the wound he had given Rand. _Destroy him! He is evil that should not exist, an evil different from the Dark One yes, but still evil!_

So for the next hour, Rand searched through the clogged streets of Baerlon. Burly miners stamped around him, their voices thick and strong as they woke from their beds, while dirty and grubby looking children danced around Rand's knees, laughing and singing words to nonsense songs that would make Thom wince. But Fain was nowhere in sight, not like he had been the first time around.

* * *

Padan Fain grimaced and quickly ducked his head back into the dark and dirty alley. The sun didn't shine here, a small pace between two thick stoned buildings, and Fain was glad to be out of the light, even if it was still winter. He had been right then, he knew he had sensed them here! Oh, the Myrddraal would be so annoyed at him. Fain had told it that the targets would come here, but after the mess where twenty Trollocs decided to kill each other for no reason, the Myrddraal had not listened to anybody but itself.

"I will be rewarded…" Fain whispered, slightly in awe, but mostly in fear. For a moment his body twitched and his face seemed to shrink and collapse into a well of anguish and self-pity. "Why can't I walk in the Light?" He whimpered, and hugged his knees as he hid from the boy. He had been ordered to stay away, the Great Lord had appeared to him last night in a furious rage, and Fain twitched again as he remembered the searing and coursing pain as Ba'alzamon spoke, his tones clipped and angry. The boy had angered the Great Lord somehow, and Fain had decided that if al'Thor could personally anger the Great Lord, then he was somebody to stay away from.

* * *

"Rand!" Mat greeted, his face tense and slightly annoyed. "You're never going to guess who's come?"

Rand shrugged silently as he entered the Inn together with Mat. Perrin was standing at the foot of the stairs, away from the busy common room, staring up with his brown eyes. Rand could remember them being golden, as gold as a wolf.

"It's Nynaeve," Perrin answered, a wry smile on her face. "She's been tearing into Moiraine for ten minutes now, using language I wouldn't even dream of in front of an Aes Sedai."

"Come on Rand, we have to see this!" Mat said, a mischievous grin on his face, and he bounded up the stairs. Perrin exchanged a long-suffering glance with Rand and followed Mat up the steps, with Rand coming behind him. At the end of the hallway, Mat was opening a door. As the wooden doors opened, Mat stopped short at the sight in front of him as Perrin and Rand caught up.

Nynaeve and Moiraine were standing a good ten paces away from each other, with Nynaeve's eyes flashing and her hand permanently gripped to her braid. Her eyes were glinting and she had drawn herself up as far as she could. On the contrary, Moiraine was smaller and she was calm, her face bland and her posture relaxed.

"I am taking them back!" Nynaeve snapped angrily, her voice heated with anger and frustration.

"You cannot. The Dark One is seeking those boys…" Moiraine started. In the corner, Lan watched Nynaeve carefully, whether it be for Moiraine's safety or personal reasons of his own.

"Sheep spit!" Nynaeve growled. She jabbed a sharp finger at Moiraine's chest, but Moiraine did not react at all, merely blinked at the rather hard poke.

_This is…amusing._ Lews Therin muttered, almost in humor and light-heartedness. He had been more co-operative lately, still as insane as he had always been, but more willing to work with Rand. Maybe a new chance had given Lews Therin something to work with.

"What about your duties?" Moiraine asked, almost idly. "You are Wisdom of the Two Rivers, who will carry on your duties now that you're gone?"

"I have contacted the Wisdom from Taren Ferry, she will look after the Two Rivers while I am gone." Nynaeve replied stiffly. "Listen to me Moiraine, Mistress Alys…whoever you are. The Women's Council agrees with me…I am taking the boys home with me, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"What's this?" Said somebody, and Rand turned his head to see Thom peering over their shoulders, watching the arguing between Nynaeve and Moiraine intently. "I don't know who will be me stubborn, your Wisdom of Mistress Alys, but I know who will win." He said, almost sighing wearily at the last sentence.

As if Moiraine had heard him, her head shot around towards them, and she raised her hand. Rand suddenly felt goosebumps pop onto his arms as the doors slammed shut by themselves, helped by Moiraine's _Saidar._

"Do you think Nynaeve will win?" Mat asked.

"Do you want her to?" Rand countered, and Mat frowned and did not answer.

* * *

Later than night, Rand leaned back in the shadows of the wall as merry music bounced off the walls of the Inn. Dancing couples laughed wildly as they twirled and spun around each other, while others clapped to the music. Laughter tinkered through the rooms and Rand spotted Nynaeve, Egwene and Moiraine dancing, Nynaeve with Mat, and Perrin dancing with a dark haired girl. On the other side of the room, Lan leant on the wall much like Rand was doing, his eyes never wavering from watching the doors and windows. For a moment, steel met stone and their eyes met. Understanding shot through both of them, and when Rand looked away, a small smile was on his face. Everything was happening as it was meant to. Earlier in the day, Nynaeve had stormed from the room, her eyes flashing, but she had agreed with Moiraine. She was coming with them. Everything was happening as it was meant to. Sometimes Rand didn't know whether to bless the Wheel of Time, or curse it.

* * *

"You belong to the Dark One, boy!" A scratching and chalk-like whisper came from the Myrddraal's throat. It was later on in the night, and people were in bed and asleep. Everything was going just as it was meant to, so the Myrddraal had shown up just like Rand had known it would.

"I belong to nobody but myself," Rand responded coolly, his heron-mark blade unsheathed and in front of him. The Myrddraal circled him, the black cloak shimmering as it absorbed and sucked in the light from the kitchen torches.

"You will not get away," The Myrddraal hissed, its sword appearing in a whirl of a cloak, midnight blade glinting. Its eyeless gaze inspired fear in the strongest of men, but it bounced off the Void Rand was in.

Rand said nothing, but he had summoned the Void before, and now he seized _Saidin, _calming and taming the furious rivers of power and letting it flow through him and light him up inside. The taint also flowed into him, but Rand ignored it as the Myrddraal took an involuntary step backwards, suddenly hesitant. It could sense the Power within him, and for a moment it was confused. Suddenly it jumped backwards, out of the kitchen and into the shadows, where it did not come out from again. It was gone, just as Lan burst down the steps, his sword in his hands.

"A Myrddraal," Rand said, his voice cold and unemotionless as he pushed away _Saidin _but remained in the Void.

"I know," Lan said, cocking his head as if he were listening to something. All Warders were able to sense Shadowspawn for about a quarter of a mile away. "It's leaving."

"I'll prepare the horses," Rand said, and wasn't surprised when Lan nodded.

"You stared it down, did you?" The toughened Warder asked, staring at the sword still in Rand's hands.

"In a way," Rand answered.

"Very brave," Lan remarked approvingly. "Very well, I will raise the others."

* * *

It was with great haste that a small group of horses ran from Baerlon that night. Rand used the Power to ward away any humans, so now Whitecloaks or Watchmen stopped them from leaving. Approaching was one of the more crucial parts of Rand's plan as Lan led them into the wild. Soon, they would be going to Shadar Logoth, Soon Rand would accomplish his first plan. 


	4. Shadar Logoth and the split

Later that morning, just as the darkness was leaving the sky and the sun was rising, the group trotted along slowly. Egwene and Nynaeve spoke softly in the darkness, their voices nothing more than a soft murmur that was carried on the breeze, while Mat and Perrin sat alert on their saddles, Mat with a bow and arrow and Perrin with his axe. Moiraine was gripping her staff tight, her eyes tight with tension and determination as she stared off into the forest in one direction. Thom was humming some soft tune to himself, which Rand could only here because of the Void.

Rand was a little more relaxed, his sword out from his scabbard, and he was confident that he could manage himself. Lan had gone out to scout a little while ago, and Rand knew that when he came back he would bring news of three fists of Trollocs, and five Myrddraal. That was all over five hundred of them, and Rand knew that there was another five hundred not to far away, though he had no way of letting Moiraine know without revealing himself.

_Trollocs! _Lews Therin spat out, his voice twisted with madness and a cold anger and disgust. _Abominations, that's all they are! Aginor had always wanted to experiment with animal genes, but not even I had predicated such violent and evil creatures! You have not seen the full extent of death until you have stared into the bottom of a Trolloc cook pot._

The sounds of thundering hooves bought Rand's attention to the side, but as he gripped himself in the Void, in the oneness, he did not take _saidin._ He did not want to be sensed so soon. After a few seconds, where Mat lifted his arrow and Perrin waited anxiously, while Egwene moved her mare closer to Moiraine and Nynaeve scowled into the darkness, the apprehension in her eyes the only thing breaking her angered pose, Lan came into view, his black stallion galloping madly down the forest paths, stirring up dead leaves as he bought his horse up to Moiraine's.

"There's three fists, with five Myrddraal," Lan said, panting slightly. His eyes were hard with determination as Moiraine stiffened in shock, letting the emotion cross her face.

"How could the Shadow sneak so many past the Borderlands?" Moiraine wondered out loud.

Lan didn't answer, but only smiled grimly. "We must move quickly," He said urgently. "There is one place where we can go that we will be safe,"

"No," Moiraine said flatly.

"Where else can we go?" Lan asked, a tinge of frustration in his voice. "Moiraine Sedai, there is no other choice!"

For a moment Moiraine sat still, her head bowed. Then she raised it and her eyes were hard. "Very well." Was all she said.

* * *

Hooves pounded along the grass, flattening the blades and crashing plants of varying shades of green. The horses were a streak in the wind, a gust of noise and colour. Leading them was Lan, his black stallion easily making the pace. Moiraine's horse followed his, with the Two Rivers people at the rear. The trees grew more and more deformed the further they travelled, their limbs turning darker and blackening, some of them were dead or dying, and as the sun rose up to noon, Lan suddenly turned his horse left.

"Trollocs!" He shouted, unsheathing his sword.

Rand blinked and looked to the left, the faint smell dirty rotten carrion entering his senses. To their left, rising up the hill, was at least a hundred Trollocs, their bestial bodies moving as fast as any horse. Following them was a single Myrddraal, its black cloak lying limp on its back, unmoved by the wind or movement. It sat on a beast of a horse, a vicious and ugly looking beast, and in one hand lay a gleaming sword of darkness that seemed to suck up the very light of the sun, in its left hand was a whip, which cracked over the heads of the Trollocs at various intervals.

"Can we outrun them?" Mat shouted anxiously over the noise of horses moving, while Egwene shivered in fright. Even Nynaeve looked scared, her eyes wide and her usual scowl and glare replaced with pale cheeks. Only Lan, Rand and Thom looked grim and determined, while Moiraine was clutching her staff and looking impassively over the hordes of screaming and roaring Trollocs, which were gaining on them by the second.

"No," Moiraine said, and Rand's arms burst out into goosebumps, as her voice seemed to be heard as if she were speaking softly into their ears. "We must fight!"

She let her horse come to a stop, and Lan moved out in front of her while Rand, Mat and Perrin joined him. Egwene and even Nynaeve crowded around Moiraine as she lifted her staff.

As the Trollocs sprinted over the grassy hill on their various hooves, talons or paws, dodging occasional trees and snarling like the beasts they were, the ground rumbled ominously. The charge hesitated, lone Trollocs slowing down, only to be sped up as the Myrddraal cracked the whip above their heads. The ground continued rumbling as they got closer, and Mat loosed his first arrow from the Longbow, sending an arrow sailing gracefully through the air and into the eye of a goat-snorted Trollocs.

"Yes!" Mat crowed as he took another arrow from his quiver.

"Wait until they are at our throats," Lan said softly, but his voice was hard. "Then we shall see if you have any worth in battle."

Mat swallowed, then yelled and ducked as the ground in front of him erupted in showers of dirt. Earth rolled, like a carpet being rippled in the breeze, and Rand could hear the ground rumbling and groaning in protest. Trollocs shouted as they tripped, the rolls washing over their charge and breaking it. Only the Myrddraal continued on, its horses moving as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly Rand felt the taint of the shadow closer to him, much closer, and he spun around just as Trollocs burst from the trees. With a yell of warning, he spurred on his horse and his sword flashed, slicing through the first Trolloc's head easily. The bestial figure fell with a scream of pain as four more replaced him, large and awkward looking poles with hooks attached at the end of them in their hand.

"Moiraine!" Egwene screamed.

"Lan, take them!" Moiraine commanded loudly. She slammed her staff in the ground, her gaze still focused on the Trollocs in front of her, merely five hundred paces away. The ground rumbled and storm clouds thundered, suddenly appearing from nowhere, the grey and billowing clouds casting a shadow over the earth as they blocked off the sun. Lightning flashed, two forks, then four, and Trollocs screamed as their charred and burnt bodies were hurled aside like rag dolls. Fire blossomed from the grounds as another wave of earth broke apart at their feet.

Not less than a twenty paces away, Lan spurred his hose to meet the smaller Trollocs group. Together, they worked as an efficient and deadly team. Lan's sword sliced and hacked with a well-practised ease, and Trollocs fled from where he stood, while Mandarb, his magnificent stallion, attacked with his hooves, smashing aside armour and bodies. Trollocs met death in those two, but more replaced the dead and scythe-like swords replaced the poles. Lan's sword was a blur, and whenever the Warder blade met Thakan'dar wrought steel, sleet lightning flashed in the air, a blue pulse that ended in sparks, which flickered and died in the air just as more of the were produced.

Mat had fallen from his saddle, and was now desperately swinging one of the hooked-poles, probably stolen from the corpse of a Trolloc. His face was a picture of fear and anger as he wielded the pole like a quarterstaff, using the hooked end to jab forcefully into Trolloc eyes. Since most of the beasts didn't use helmets, it was an effective technique and already four Trollocs were snarling and shouting wildly as they staggered around Mat. One of the Trollocs was wielding their customary blades and was swinging it widely in one hand while holding its other hand to its eyes. Its bear muzzle was snarling as it struck into thin air, but occasionally it stabbed and killed its kin, until one of the other Trollocs pushed their blade into its back and the blinded Trolloc collapsed.

Perrin was near Moiraine, using his axe to swipe at any Trolloc that came near. Behind him, Egwene and Nynaeve watched with horror as the Trolloc hordes came closer and closer, pushing back the human defenders, but none managed to come to closer, because at the centre of all of the fighting, Rand stood, his horse lying dead on the ground, dark black staining the ground where it lay.

He was one with the sword, and Cat over the Wall, the rising sword stabbing under a Trolloc under the chin and the blade protruding from its head. The sword moved into River under the Rocks, and the lowered thrust impaled a Trolloc in the guts, while Whirling Windmill produced a spinning slice that slashed a beaked Trolloc in the chest, the power-wrought blade easily slicing past the flimsy armour. As the beak faced Trolloc screeched in anger, a black-cloaked Myrddraal approached. Rand stepped back, his eyes glittering with repressed anger. He was wrapped in the Void, his emotions fed into the flames, and he seized the light that was _saidin. _Power poured into him, a heat that warmed his body, and a taint that threatened to overwhelm him. There was an instance where a struggle occurred between Rand and the avalanche of chaotic and tainted power, before Rand gained control.

_Destroy them all! I must destroy them! _Lews Therin howled angrily, but Rand was already holding _saidin _and his attempts to grasp it for himself were deflected.

The Myrddraal hesitated just a fraction; it could sense the power that throbbed in Rand. Rand took advantage of that seconds pause and leaped forward, his blade slicing into the dirt as he performed Heron Wades in the Pond. The Myrddraal fell back, its eyeless gaze threatening to chill Rand and its sword moving like a skilful serpent. Blue lightning arced from where the blades met as Rand pressed on. _Saidin _pulsed within him, and suddenly the Myrddraal screeched, an unearthly scream that was far worse than any Trolloc snarl. Smoke began to lick its cloak as it was burnt from the inside, its internal organs melting under the intense pressure and heat Rand was channelling into it. Any sign of the smoke was lost in the shouts and smells of battle. Rand took the chance to push its blade away, and his own blade flashed in the air as it met flesh, and the Myrddraal collapsed into a twitching pile of limbs.

* * *

The Trollocs were almost dead now, and Lan was finishing off the last three with a whirlwind of horse and sword. At least twenty of the beasts lay on the ground in various stages of mutilation. Moiraine was still peering forward, and large yellow and red flames had grown from the ground. Smoke poured in the air as another volley of lightning struck beyond the flames, and screams of pain echoed past them as the lightning struck into flesh. 

"Moiraine Sedai!" Lan said urgently as he came towards Moiraine.

"In a moment," Moiraine said, her voice weak and fatigued. The flames beyond the hill suddenly grew in height and intensity, until Rand could feel the heat from flames from where he was standing. Suddenly a gust of wind swept through the ground, and leaves, dirt and blood were swept out as it passed them. The Aes Sedai suddenly sagged in her saddle and her staff lowered. "The flames will not hold them forever, and when they break through they will follow a false trail. They will not be fooled for long," She said weakly. "Lan, take us to Aridhol."

* * *

The group rode on with great haste. Mat had recovered his horse, but Rand had none and was forced to ride on the back of Mandarb, and he gripped the Warder by the waist. It was uncomfortable, but Rand bared it as Lan led them past hills and forests, until the came upon a rocky path that led up to the top of a hill. At the top, the group stopped as Perrin, Mat, Egwene and Nynaeve gasped at the crumbing city walls, with towers of weathered stone. Broken buildings lay beyond the walls and in the Void, he could sense the evil of the place. Not the evil of the Dark One, but an evil nonetheless.

"What is this place?" Mat asked.

"It was once an ally with Manetheren, back in the Trolloc Wars. It was named Aridhol, but the city died and was renamed." Moiraine said tiredly. "Shadowspawn fear to come here."

"What was it renamed to?" Egwene asked softly.

"Shadar Logoth." Moraine answered, and the name was enough to make Rand feel uneasy.

* * *

A large building made of crumbling stone became their Inn, and Moiraine set up various wards until she was ready to drop. Her brow was lowered in exhaustion and Lan looked very odd, his stony face present as he gently laid Moiraine to bed. Mat and Perrin were gone, probably exploring like last time, and Rand was quick to leave and find them. Next to her, Egwene looked on worriedly as Nynaeve prepared a mild sleeping tea, using a small flickering fire to heat it. Thom was sitting quietly on the ground, his harp out, and he tuned it carefully, stroking the strings like he would a lover. Only the flickering glances he shot at Moiraine showed the concern he felt.

"I only need a few hours rest," Moiraine said to Egwene weakly. "The Trollocs will fear to come here, most likely they will avoid it."

"Where are Mat and Perrin?" Nynaeve suddenly asked as she handed Moiraine the tea.

Lan looked around sharply, and his blue eyes flashed with anger. "Those fools!" He growled. "I would have expected better sense from them, especially Rand!"

"No doubt it was one of Mats little adventures, it always is." Nynaeve said sharply. She tugged on her braid and stood as Moiraine fell asleep the instant the tea had been swallowed. "I will find them,"

"Don't be foolish Wisdom," Lan said roughly. "Shadar Logoth is no place for you, it is no place for any man or women. It is better to stay here where there are wards. I will find them."

Nynaeve stared at the Warder, incredulity showing in her eyes, but he stared stonily back and she lowered them with a small blush, her cheeks heating. Lan looked momentarily surprised, but he stepped up and walked out.

* * *

"…help me, and you may have a large share of your own. I cannot possible carry this all out on my own, and by the time I come back, others will have taken it."

Rand entered the underground chamber with a grim look on his face. His hand rested on his sword and he eyed the scene in front of him with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Mordeth stood, just as Rand remembered him, while Perrin watched Mat dig into the treasure eagerly.

"What's this?" Rand asked, his voice cold.

Mordeth spun around in surprise, his eyes widening a fraction, and for a moment Rand could see the evil that lay beneath the rather portly man.

"Rand, this is Mordeth." Perrin said, his eyes glancing between Rand, Mordeth and the treasure.

"He's a treasure hunter and he needs our help to carry some of this stuff back to his horses. If we help him, he'll give us a share!" Mat exclaimed eagerly. "Light Rand, real treasure!"

"Mordeth?" Rand asked sharply.

_KILL HIM! DARKNESS, HE IS DARKNESS THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST! _Lews Therin practically roared.

_I intend to destroy him! But not now, we will destroy both Mordeth and the Taint at once. _Rand said back grimly, and he smiled slightly at Lews Therin's harsh anticipation.

"Yes, why, do you recognise it?" Mordeth asked.

"Yes actually, I do." Rand said. "The only Mordeth I ever heard of was the one who led Aridhol into an evil that was almost as bad as the Dark One. And…" Suddenly Rand paused and he stepped back, his face showing manufactured shock. "You have no shadow!"

Perrin stumbled back, as Mat dropped the gold coins he was holding. Mordeth was not smiling anymore and suddenly his lashed forward, and tendrils of mist whipped through the air. The man's body was turning into a smoky grey mist, mist that Rand knew as Mashadar. Mat gave a frenzied shout and staggered back, as Mordeth hurled through the wall, fleeing. Rand knew it would be not strike if it thought that one of them would help release it.

"Mat, don't take anything!" Was the first thing he said.

Mat nodded numbly and dropped the pouch full of coins he had. "W-What was that?" He stammered, pointing at the wall where Mashadar had disappeared.

"Ask Lan to tell you," Rand said grimly. "But if you take anything from here, you will end up just like it! We need to leave here now!"

Mat paled and he hesitated as Perrin grabbed him, and together with Rand, they left the chamber.

Upstairs, sunlight beamed onto the street and Rand suddenly felt safer as the first rays hit his chest. He whirled on Rand and jabbed him in the chest, his eyes hard and his face stony.

"Mat, do you have anything from the chamber? Did he give you anything?" Rand asked, and Mat shook his head.

"He didn't give us anything," Perrin said slowly.

"Did you take anything?" Rand asked, and Mat hesitated before he slowly pulled out an ornate dagger with gleaming rubies in the hilt. Rand shuddered at the mere sight of the weapon, it had been the one that had stabbed into his side and released a deadly evil into him. "Is that all?"

Mat nodded and Rand quickly grabbed the dagger and hurled it aside. It clattered down a crumbling wall and lay gleaming in the sun.

"Good," Rand said with relief, just as a flash of dizziness throbbed into him, and Lan appeared.

"You fools!" He hissed. "Come with me!"

* * *

Four hours later, Rand sat on his makeshift bed inside the warded building. His head ached, throbbing madly, but he ignored it as he waited. Moiraine had just woken up and was looking more refreshed and energised, while Mat and Perrin lay on their own beds, still down from the chastisement they had received from both Lan and Nynaeve. The story of Shadar Logoth and Mordeth had been told to them, and when Rand was asked how he had heard of it, he shrugged and said that Tam had a book that spoke of the fate of Aridhol. Now, Lan had gone to scout and he sat and waited. With Mat safe from the dagger, Rand could begin his own plans once the Trollocs broke up their party. Soon Lan would come back and report that Trollocs were entering Shadar Logoth. Soon Rand would ensure that Mat was sent off safe with Thom to Caemlyn, and he would kill the Myrddraal from Whitebridge to make sure that Thom didn't disappear, to make sure that Mat was not alone.

Sure enough, Lan quickly returned and headed for Moiraine.

"A few dozen Trollocs at least, and a Myrddraal." The Warder reported.

"So the Myrddraal is pushing the Trollocs into Shadar Logoth," Moiraine murmured, while Egwene squeaked softly.

"Then what is pushing the Myrddraal?" Lan asked, and received no answer.

"Can't we get past it?" Mat asked.

"All of the Aes Sedai in the White Tower could not hope to destroy Mashadar," Moiraine answered from the other side of the wall of grey and white mist, which throbbed at the mention of Aes Sedai. She laughed bitterly. "We must separate for a time. Follow the red star in the night sky. Eventually you will reach the river, a few leagues from the city. I will have to meet you there."

* * *

Two Trollocs rounded the corner, almost as surprised to see Mat and Rand, as Mat was to see them. For a second nobody moved until Rand, who was on the back of Mat's saddle, leapt off with his sword flying.

"Ride Mat!" He shouted as he slammed into the Trollocs. His sword flowed as he blocked and parried thrusts and blows from curved swords, these Trollocs were very skilled, and yelled again. "Blood and Ashes Mat, RUN!"

He heard the sound of pounding hooves on stone and he smiled grimly. He seized _saidin _and with a quick glance around, he raised his hands and channelled. Fiery arrows appear on the tips of his fingers and thumb, ten in total, and Arrows of Fire erupted from his hands; fiery arrows appearing in place of the others as soon as they had flew out. A hundred arrows had burst from his palms in a second, and the Trollocs had no time to scream as they were impaled, burnt and killed instantly. Their crumpled bodies fell to the ground and Rand smiled in satisfaction.

_Yes! Burn them, freeze them, crush them and destroy them! Above all, kill them! _Lews Therin panted in excitement, a childlike glee bursting into Rand. The man was definitely insane.

As three more Trollocs appeared, Rand readied himself and raised his hands again. Light and power burnt into him, accompanied by the rotten tasting taint, and suddenly Rand staggered as a wave of dizziness, almost like the rot he had developed the first time around. But this dizziness was different, and suddenly Rand felt flushed and hot. He was sweating badly, he discovered, as he placed a hand on his forehead, and he staggered back, one hand still raised. The three Trollocs sprinted closer, eagerness in their human eyes, and Rand, waved his hand sharply, and they were suddenly yanked up by and invisible force and hurled aside with great force, collapsing in a crumpled heap several hundred paces away.

"You utter fool!" Came a cold voice behind him, and Rand spun around. Ba'alzamon stood there, a fine red cloak swirling in the light breeze. The stars and moon overhead cast a feeble light, but Ba'alzamon sucked it up as if he was eating it, the light being sucked into his very body. Furnace eyes blazed with fire behind the hood, and a disgusted frown marred his face.

"What do you want?" Rand asked roughly.

Ba'alzamon didn't reply, stepping around the dead Trolloc bodies in black boots, while lifting his cloak up as if to stop it from touching the large pool of blood forming. He eyed the bodies with speculation, before shifting his gaze to Rand.

"Arrows of Fire," He said slowly. "Lews Therin Telamon created that weave,"

"I know," Rand said coldly.

"So, that is why you are experience at _saidin. _You have his knowledge…or at least, some of it. I was puzzled at first, even one such as yourself was too young to be so proficient. And when we last met…I thought I heard an echo of Lews Therin. But…I do experience bouts of madness from time to time." Ba'alzamon said wryly, sound almost sane, before he ruined it as he laughed loudly, his rough voice echoing over the hollow and crumpled buildings. Distantly, Rand could see flickering flames as he guessed that Moiraine wielded her powers against Trollocs. "You will serve me, or you will die! You are a fool; you do not know what you could do with your power if you just knelt down once, just once! Acknowledge the Great Lord of the Dark as your Master just one and he will be content! You can reign over these lands all you wish, and He will not interfere."

"Leave or be destroyed." Rand growled, _saidin _pulsing in him. But he was feeling hot, and sweat mopped his brow, dizziness pounding into his head.

"Do you know what you are experiencing?" Ba'alzamon asked, his eyes blazing in triumph. "You are experience the sickness that comes from drawing in the power. Normally, these would last a few hours, maybe a day at the most. But you…you have tried to channel when your body could not accept anymore! You will take weeks to recover, maybe you will die!"

Rand felt a cold void form in him, and fear flitted on the Void. No! This was not how he was meant to die! There was still much to be done, lives to be saved! Ba'alzamon was lying!

"You know I do not lie," Ba'alzamon said softly. He took a step forward and extended his hand. "Join me, and I will heal you right now. Join me, and rule the world! I do not want to rule, it can be yours! People will bow down to your name, and quiver in fear and awe at your mere presence!"

"Never!"

_Never! _

With a roar, Rand extended his own hand as Ba'alzamon stepped backwards, his cloak fluttering in the wind. A disc of fire, sleek and white-hot, formed in the palm of his hand and Rand hurled it at Ba'alzamon, his hand still outstretched. With a burst of ebony coloured power, Ba'alzamon slapped it aside, white and red sparks cackling in the air as the dark material of his glove came into contact with the sleek wheel of fire. Heat blossomed in the air as the fire tore through the crumbling walls of the building nearby, and fire burst from all windows, doors and holes.

"You fool! Why will you not submit?" Ba'alzamon shouted angrily, black flames forming in his extended hand. Rand threw himself to the ground as a bar of black flames burst from the hand, searing and gliding through the air where Rand had once stood. On the ground, Rand channelled desperately, and the ground tore open in violent jagged edges, rocks torn asunder as they spread through the road. Ba'alzamon channelled _saidin _at that moment, and Rand could feel the utter strength radiating off the man. It was a rival to himself, and suddenly Ba'alzamon was standing in a bubble of grey power.

Rand jumped up, just as the cracks in the ground filled with flames, and he had to slice away a roaring sleet that sped towards him. A touch of earth sealed the cracked stone, just as hammers of power slammed into to each other and strands of air slashed and slammed and each other. The air crackled and erupted into multicoloured sparks and Rand raised his hand, a bar of white-hot fire, liquid-like in appearance, burst from his palm Balefire swept across the plaza and Ba'alzamon threw himself down to the ground as the beam tore into buildings of stone.

"You are insane!" Ba'alzamon shrieked in fear and anger. But his next attack mimicked Rand, and balefire sliced and tore through stone, sending houses crumbling to where they stood. As Rand channelled again, a grey mist seeped into the street, lit up by the various fires. Both Ba'alzamon stared each other down, their hands raised, and Rand wrung himself deeper into the void, before both fighters spotted Mashadar. For a split second, burning furnaces met steely grey, and in unison they both swung their hands towards Mashadar.

Balefire leap from their palms, and the two blinding bars of white-hot liquid fire erupted from their palms. Mashadar reared, the mist parting against the powerful balefire, and there was a loud hissing noise, like an angry snake as more and more mist burst into the street. Tendrils shot out, and Rand shifted automatically, _saidin _slicing through vines of mist with a flash of sheet fire, dark and throbbing. More and more vines burst from the mist, and Rand stopped the balefire as he took a step backwards. Concentrating, he melded a flow of air and fire together, before earth and spirit tied off with each other and merged with the original weave. A fiery orb, brightly flickering and scarlet in colour, surrounded Rand. Tendrils struck the orb and dissipated, and Rand turned back to Ba'alzamon, who was faring worse.

Maybe it was because of Ba'alzamons connection to the Dark One, or the True Power that he wielded, but Mashadar seemed to go after him with a vengeance. Misty arms curled around a black glowing shield, while fiery whips extended from Ba'alzamon, cracking down at Mashadar whenever it came close. Ba'alzamon stood in the centre, his gaze locked with Rand, a furious expression on his face and a burning light in his eyes.

Rand smiled mockingly and Ba'alzamon snarled, his face twisting up into the face of a madman. The Forsaken tried to take a step forward, but Mashadar pushed at him and he staggered back. The mist was surrounding him, slowly obscuring him from view, striking out with its power. As Ba'alzamon slowly became lost in the darkened mist, Rand was not forgotten either. Mashadar pounded into his shield, slicing away the fiery scarlet dome. Rand channelled again, and a single vertical line of black and sparkling silver appeared just behind him. It expanded like a sheet of rolled up paper uncurling, and Rand took a single step backwards, stepping out from Shadar Logoth. Seconds later, the gateway disappeared, just as a wave of fire, black and chaotic, burst from the lump of Mashadar. A moment later, Ba'alzamon stood, his face tight with strain and he disappeared into the shadows, just as Mashadar reared for another strike.

* * *

"What is going on?" Lan wandered out loud, atop the hills surrounding Shadar Logoth. Fire could be seen at the eastern end of the crumbling ruins, flickering yellow flames illuminating the darkened streets. Sitting in her saddle next to him, Moiraine frowned as a building collapsed under a rush of white flames.

"I would say that the white bar of flames is Balefire," She remarked, "But who would have the ability to create that?"

Lan and Moiraine's eyes met, and an understanding passed between them.

"You think it is him," Lan said, it was not a question.

"It must be." Moiraine said and shivered. Light, if the boy had created Balefire without instruction, what could he do once he had grown into his powers and had experimented with them even more? Suddenly she sensed something, like a giant spark, and her lips curled up into a smile. "Now, if the Wisdom would appear from the trees, perhaps we can go and search for the missing boys?"

From beyond the darkened trees, Nynaeve appeared, her cheeks burning but her gaze defiant. As Moiraine stared at her, she resisted the urge to sigh. So much planning lost, and now she would have to deal with a stubborn and wilful young woman, who would most likely not accept the news of her abilities well. She could only pray to the Creator that she would be able to find the other boys soon.

* * *

Across the other side of the river, Perrin and Egwene hurried forward into the darkness, shivering as the wind chilled the water dripping from their clothes. Behind them, Trollocs howled as they approached the river, and would not cross it.

"Do you think they'll follow us?" Egwene asked Perrin anxiously.

"Moiraine Sedai said that Trollocs were afraid of deep water," Perrin answered slowly. "But we should keep moving. When it is daylight, we'll find the others."

Egwene nodded and together, they entered the deserted Caralain Grasses.

* * *

Mat shivered, ducking beneath a building as two Trollocs stormed past. He was all alone now, with no Aes Sedai or Warder or Rand to help him out. Light, what was Rand thinking, hurling himself at Trollocs? Didn't he have more sense than that? Battle were made to sound good in stories, but Mat had soon discovered that there was nothing glorious about it. It was all a sweaty and angry mess where you tried to avoid getting jabbed with pointy objects! Light, he wished he had a weapon. As he crept from the shadows, he noticed that he was near the place where Mordeth had appeared. He shivered, and quickly darted towards the next building. The walls were in sight!

There was a snarl behind him, and a shout, and Mat gave a yell of fright as he was pushed down against the wall. Standing above him was a dark eyed Trolloc, with a snarling dogs mouth and drool dripping from sharp teeth. Mat squirmed and patted the ground for something to fight with as the Trolloc grinned menacingly. His hand closed something metal, a hilt, and Mat lashed out. The Trolloc howled in pain and staggered back, and Mat jumped to his feet and sprinted for the walls, never looking back. If he had, he would have seen the Trolloc convulse on the ground as a squirmy black substance spread all over its body.

"Mat!" Somebody hissed as Mat sprinted past the walls, and Mat turned to see Thom beckoning him from behind a tree. Sighing in relief, he made his way over, his hand clutched around a golden dagger with rubies planted in the hilt.


	5. Caemlyn

**A/N: Here's another update for those who read this story. **

**Thanks to my Beta, Tobang, for reading over this. It has been a while since I've updated. Real life + School work + School Camp + potential girlfriend Lack of time. I could explain it in terms of x and y, using Pythagoras Theorem and Anti-differentiation, while graphing it using cubic and vector plots…but I would barely understand it, and I'm taking the damn class!

* * *

**

_**Two weeks later

* * *

**_

"Run!" Thom shouted as he jumped forward. His hands, blurring as if he were performing one of his many tricks, had one knife appear in each them. With a bouncy stride, unfit for a man such as he, Thom hurled himself forward, towards the Myrddraal, who stepped back in shock from the unexpected bold move. A flash of blue sleet lightning, rang threw the air as they collided, the impact making both of them tumble into the square. Mat, who didn't need to see anymore, fled, one hand in his clothes, reassuringly gripping a metal hilt laid with rubies. He was sprinting towards the Caemlyn road, trying to get away from Whitebridge as fast as he could.

At that same moment, Rand was hundreds of leagues away, where life died beneath the sweltering sun and massive dunes of yellow sand. There was no sign of civilization, or life in any direction. No plants grew beneath the grainy sand and the only thing that could be seen was a faint haze that shimmered as the sun beat down in sweltering proportions. Once this had been a seabed, where the famous port town of Shorelle had been built around, but three thousand years after the breaking, it had become a region of land known as the Waterless Sands, a place where no water existed, it was so difficult to live here that even the Aiel stayed away from it. In these sands, there was a metallic wreck that was half-buried beneath the harsh terrain. It was in remarkable condition after three thousand years, it had probably been built using the One Power. Rand supposed it was some type of boat, it had the vague hull outline of one, but it was gigantic, easily dwarfing any Sea Folk ship he had seen. There were large spaces that were big enough to hold several houses at least! Inside one of these darkened spaces, a small sparkling ball of pure white light shone, illuminating the lying figure of Rand, he was listening to Lews Therin recount one of his visits to Shorelle.

_You should have seen Ilyena in a bathing suit! _Lews Therin laughed in one of his saner moments. _The blasted thing wouldn't fit, even when Renoll adjusted the size…she was furious! I almost thought she would lash out with the power, but she had better control than that. Still, she had a wicked tongue that could be just as bad sometimes, and a temper that could soar as high as a Sho-wing!_

Rand could almost feel that man's amusement at the whole situation. Lews Therin had used several terms that Rand didn't know, but the names sometimes provided a detailed image in his head. In this case, Rand could see something flying in the sky that had a long sleek sliver body with wings branching off of it like a hawk's would.

_Are you sure Ishmael won't find us? _Rand asked Lews Therin again. From what he knew, Ishmael could find a _ta'veren _through the ripples that they created in the pattern. Hence why Rand had come to one of the most remote locations in the world.

_I told you, unless you channel a large amount of Saidin without inverting the weaves, he couldn't find you! There is nothing for the pattern to ripple in these blasted lands and… _

Lews Therin went silent, his exasperated tone suddenly halting, before it returned with suspicion and anger laced into it.

_You almost had me…I see now…I've grown careless, and I…So, you thought you could trick me! You are nothing but demons in my head…voices of insanity…be gone! Be gone or I will destroy you!_

Rand ignored the voice, which seemed to freak out like this every time Lews Therin had just started becoming friendly. He laid stretched out on a soft and billowy flow of air, which he had tied off once he had done channeling, and had inverted the weaves so nobody could sense it. Well, Lews Therin had done most of the more complex channeling…even with all of Asmodeans teachings; Rand still did not know all of the tricks with channeling. All he was good for was destruction and death.

Sighing out loud, he seized _saidin; _channeling only a trickle of the burning warmth, but with is came the searing taint, a wave of unbelievable sickness and fatigue. He probed the complex and hidden wards around the metal contraption, making sure that they were all in order, before he dropped the power and rolled over to his side. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he closed his eyes, the subtle movement had sent waves and pounds of dizziness throughout his head. Trying to ignore the shivering and shaking movements he was making, Rand tried to get some sleep. He still had a week or so to recover from the prolonged power acquisition sickness, and he needed his rest. He only hoped that Perrin and Mat were okay. Without Rand to target, Ishmael might concentrate his efforts on them.

* * *

_Weeks Later_

_Caemlyn:_

The Queens Man loomed up ahead of Mat, who sighed in relief. His head was pounding and his face was pale, but he had never felt more relieved to see an Inn before in his life. He only hoped that Thom's instructions were right, and that there was a bed in there that he could get some sleep in. He also wouldn't mind seeing the False Dragon, but he would have to do that tomorrow. Ignoring the way people avoided him, and the darkness that seemed to radiate off him, Mat strode into the Inn, his mind already half-twisted by the dagger.

* * *

_The Aiel Waste: The Waterless Sands_

"So, this is where you fled to hide like a rat!" Ba'alzamon laughed mockingly, his red cloak swishing in the hot desert winds. The dreaded Forsaken did not seem to mind the blistering heat, or the sand that slashed at his cheeks as it flew past in the harsh winds. There was a faint crackling glow in the air, an aura of blue, purple and silver shards that flickered and wavered, the remains of the wards Rand had set up that Ba'alzamon had swept away with considerable ease. His eyes were furnaces, and while his smile was mocking, there was a degree of anger and fury in it. "You thought you could hide from me? You almost did…but the threads of _ta'veren _are different from those of other people! It may have taken me some time, but I found you, just as I always will!"

Rand didn't say anything as he stood on top of the wreck, some hundred paces away from Ba'alzamon, or Ishmael. He had been resting, idly thinking of his next moves, when the wards had sang with warning before they had been blow away by the True Power. Now, he stood and confronted one of his most dangerous enemies. The thing in front of him might have once been a man, a twisted and a poor excuse of a man yes, but still, he might have once been a man. Now, after three thousand years of being partially trapped in the Seal and the use of the True Power derived from the Dark One, Ba'alzamon was half-mad and even less human.

"It could end," Ba'alzamon continued, studying Rand intently. "Join me, bow down to me! Acknowledge the Great Lord of the Dark as your master, and everything you have ever desired could be yours!"

"How many times must try to recruit me for the shadow Elan?" Rand asked roughly, his voice harsh and guttural as Lews Therin spoke through him. He inwardly cursed and shook away the disembodied man, his mind tightly wrapped around _saidin_, the pulsing and harsh warmth mixing with the dirty and searing taint that threatened to eat away at his bones. The sun that shone high ahead barely bothered him, sweat did not appear on his face, as he stared across at Elan…No, Ishmael of Ba'alzamon, who stood on a sand dune with a tight and gleaming look in the furnaces he called eyes.

"I will continue until you have joined!" Ba'alzamon whispered harshly, his voice carried along with the wind. It got steadily louder and louder as he continued. "This conflict between the Light and the Shadow…they have existed for thousands and thousands of years, since the beginning of the Wheel of Time! And you…your soul…it is always yours that is the bearer of Light, the savior, the _Dragon!_" The last word was hissed out, as if the very name was a stain on Ba'alzamons soul…if he had one. "In many of those times, you have been killed and the Wheel was reset as Shadow triumphed. But in other battles…you have joined the Great Lord and you have become his Avatar, an Avatar of Darkness! In those times, you ruled! Now, at the very end, you have a chance to make a decision! Die, or become the Avatar you are destined to become!"

Rand didn't say anything, but _saidin _roared through him as he channeled from the True Source. A tall, narrow cylinder of fire grew from the sands around Ba'alzamon, a total of three in total. They were gleaming red, with flickers of yellow and orange, which raged inside an invisible tube that compressed the searing flames. A low humming sound, which grew in pitch as the seconds passed could be heard, and Ba'alzamons eyes expanded in unison with the Blossoms of Fire, and the compressed flames erupted from the cylinders into giant discs of roaring infernos. The sand dune exploded in a roar of power and fire and sand melted and fused together as the red-cloaked form vanished beneath the roaring fires.

_It is never this easy! _Lews Therin mumbled worriedly.

Rand could only agree with him as the fires flickered away, a roaring firestorm limited to nothingness by a lack of fuel. Suddenly a blast of black lightning burst from the center of the dying flames and Ba'alzamon strode out on the air, a large crater beneath him, looking unaffected by the fires that flickered over him. Anger was etched on his face as lightning pulsed from his hands, arcing towards Rand. Rand threw out his own hands, and a glowing blue orb burst from them, which expanded into a spinning circle of glittering power that hovered off the ground just in front of Rand. Lightning burst onto the shield, and splotches of red appeared where black cackling energy stuck the shield, but they were deflected and blocked as Rand tied off the weave and channeled again.

From the clear skies, lighting burst down, striking in wild patterns. Ba'alzamon laughed, a roaring sound, and the lightning bolts that had came close to him sizzled out and disappeared. Rand sent another volley and opened a gateway behind him. As Ba'alzamon swatted away the lightning with an almost careless ease, Rand inverted the weaves of the gateway and stepped back into it, leaving the Waterless Lands and the roaring snarl that washed over the biting winds and was lost in the deserted sands.

* * *

Ducking to the left and back into a dark alley Mat tried not to squirm. Finally, with an almost inaudible sigh, he wiped his brow. He wasn't at all surprised to see a coating of sweat on his hand when he bought it down. He was being followed, he could tell. The eyes…they never stopped watching him…the Whitecloaks…the Queens Guards…they could all be Darkfriends! Light, he was alone, and there was nobody that could save him from the shadow…except himself. He convulsively gripped the dagger's hilt, almost heaving a sigh of pleasure as his hand tingled at the mere touch. It was becoming part of him, another arm or limb, and no matter how hard Mat tried to resist its sirens call, he was never strong enough. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he could remember the distant warnings of Rand, the horrible tales of Moiraine and the shadow less figure of Mordeth and his Mashadar, but he just didn't care anymore.

Suddenly, cheering and booing started from the outer walls, so loud that even Mat could here them from his darkened position behind a stone building. Mat grimaced and glanced around. He wanted a look at this False Dragon, but he wasn't stupid enough to go into the crowds. Oh no, that's what all the Darkfriends and thieves wanted him to do, Mat Cauthon was no fool. A mocking grin fell onto his lips as he glanced around, but the grin died almost as soon as it came when he felt the unseen but ever searching eyes on him again. A startled and hoarse growl leapt from his throat as he scrambled away from the alley, running as if the very whips of a Myrddraal were on his back.

A moment later a grimy dirt covered figure sulked into the alley, but despite his outward appearance his eyes were alert, curious and half-mad. A touch of darkness seeped through this man, not as somebody who fought the evilness of Shadar Logoth, consciously and unconsciously, with all his being, but one who embraced it and welcomed its touch. Padan Fain stared through the alley, licking his cracked and blistered lips nervously as he sniffed hesitantly, like a bloodhound. The tainted one had been here…he could smell it! And he was closer, oh, he was so close now that he could sense the item, the item that had been taken out of Shadar Logoth and belonged to him! Once he had it…the Dark One would never use him again! He would be nobody's whipping boy and faithful dog…he would reap vengeance upon those who had ever harmed him…and that damned al'Thor would be first!

* * *

Mat didn't stop running until he had left the darkened alley far behind him. He twisted through buildings and streets, ducking away from people and avoiding the burning sunlight. Spring had yet to pass and the winter sun was cold and horrible, but to Mat it was blinding and scorching, threatening to destroy him where he stood. But he didn't stop running, until he had made it up the many levels of the Outer city and eventually, had reached the gleaming white walls that surrounded the inner city, the homes of the Lords and Ladies and the Queen of Andor.

"Come and find me now!" Mat muttered, a taste of victory on his mouth. His eyes roamed the walls and flickered back to the buildings of the outer city, a frown appearing on his face. He did not seem bothered that he was talking to himself and scowled angrily. "Blood and Ashes! I wanted to see the False Dragon!"

As his eyes roamed across the great city of Caemlyn they fell on the walls he was standing next to. A faint mischievous grin appeared on his face, a faded echo of what it used to be. The walls were strong; they had stood for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In all that time the rain and wind had done some light damage to them though, enough damage to create grooves and cracks along the surface. It was a high wall and it would be a hard climb, but the Sand Cliffs back at the Two Rivers were higher and tougher, and he had climbed those before. Without a second thought, Mat scrambled up, his fingers expertly searching for grooves and cracks. He bounded up the wall like a cat up a tree, and within twenty seconds he was at the top, staring out into the parade of red and white soldiers of horses. In the middle of it all, a single mare was pulling a cage. In the cage was a tall defiant man, with dark hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in fine clothes, which were dirty and rumpled, but he stood with the confidence of a King, staring emotionlessly down at those who booed and jeered at him. Surrounding him were six women whose features were too hard to make out from this distance. They all stared at the man as if nothing else in the world existed, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. Their Warders surrounded them, they had to be Warders for no other soldiers dressed up in that shimmering cloak that blended in the background and twisted in the light, they didn't stop watching the crowd for one moment, as if Trollocs and Darkfriends were bound to leap up at them any moment.

"The women must be Aes Sedai, but what are they doing?" Mat mused out loud, his voice scratchy and rough. He chuckled softly, a low cackle that was unsettling to his own ears, and reached into his coat, gripping the dagger tightly. He partially closed his eyes, a throb of pleasure rushing into him, and a soft sigh wheezed through his lips, dirty and dry, followed by a round of hacking coughs. Perhaps it was that reason why the two people hidden in the tree above him didn't say anything, but just watched the dangerous man silently.

* * *

As soon as Rand appeared in Caemlyn he could sense Mat, the _saidin _wards that Rand had placed throbbed in the distance. Rand left the secluded area he had traveled to, a small space at the back of a shop in the middle of the outer city that had been chosen because of the remote chance of anybody actually being there. He could feel Mat moving towards the Inner City so he quickly drew his cloak tightly around himself and started pushing through the throngs of people, ignoring the jeers and boos that he could here. He had considered freeing Logain, but had decided that first he needed the man to be gentled. Once Logain was gentled, he would lose any arrogance or delusions of power that he had and Rand would pick up a broken man, who would be all too eager to serve Rand once he had healed his gentling. It was harsh, but Rand didn't care. He would use whomever and whatever he had too, as long as he won properly this time.

After ten or so minutes Rand had tracked Mat to the walls of the Inner City, he could see him sitting on the wall, almost in the exact same position as he had been sitting so many years ago…Light, how long had it been? Even with all of the confusing business with time and balefire, Rand could barely remember the event. It was back in a time when Rand had been so innocent and naïve of the world and his destiny. He absently shook away those thoughts and moved forward, clearing past the shrubs and brushes that hid him from viewed

"Mat!" Rand called out loudly as burst into view. Mat looked down and gave a start, his body visibly shaking, before he waved his arms around in the air frantically as he lost his balance. He slid from view, panic just blooming in his face, and fell backwards, over the wall and into the ground behind them, which Rand knew were the Palace Gardens. As a _ta'veren_, Rand was used to altering chance. Luckily, the ability was no where near as strong as it had been, but even then, there were some things that the Wheel of Time would weave, some events of talks. Light, this had to be one of them. As he stood there, there was a rustle from the trees and Rand's heart clenched painfully as a beautiful girl, maybe three years younger than he was, appeared from behind the leaves and branches. She was younger, but Rand would never fail to recognize the Daughter-Heir, one of the loves…former loves of his life.

"Your friend is hurt," She called down from the trees. Rand almost shivered, just as the mere sound of her voice, but he hid his feelings behind a hard and stony wall of determination. No, he was not going to do this again. Not with Elayne. He was not going to get Morgase killed again; he wasn't going to ruin Elayne's life for a second time. It was as Lan said, better to die rather than love men look themselves.

"Climb over and help me," Elayne ordered as she jumped from the tree, disappearing from view. Rand noted Gawyn following his sister and grimaced at the sight. Last time Rand had seen the man; Gawyn had been determined to slice him open in revenge and anger, because he had believed that Rand had killed his mother.

"Are you coming?" Elayne called loudly, Rand hesitated momentarily before finding the nearest groove and crack, slowly climbing the wall. He had done it before, but it seemed a lot easier this time as he clambered forward, before he reached the top and looked down. Mat lay on the ground, moaning dazedly as he rubbed his head. Where his fingers touched his head, crimson blood smeared all over the appendages. Next to him, Elayne removed her belt pouch as she knelt down beside him, and Rand had to stifle a flash of jealousy at the way her pale fingers gently pressed down on Mat's head. Gawyn stood next to her, his stance relaxed but protective as he gazed at Mat as if he were not quite sure about him. What really caught Rand's attention though was the gleaming golden hilt that he could see protruding from Mat's cloak, and the faint taste of rotten meat, similar to the taint on _saidin _or the presence of shadowspawn, but a different…flavor, that would be the best word Rand could come up for it. He knew this flavor though; it was the same one that had lingered in his side after Padan Fain had stabbed him.

"Stay away from him!" Rand barked loudly, his voice leaving no room for questioning. The tone, which had crumbled the High Lords of Tear, the Nobles of Cairhien and even Aes Sedai, impressed such an urgency that Elayne automatically stood back as Rand jumped from the walls, landing on the heels of his feet, an Aiel trick that he had learnt. He got to his feet, his face stony and hard and one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Rand…" Mat muttered as he staggered up, shaking his head in a daze. His smile, which had once been so mischievous, shone with an unholy light, suspicion and paranoia etching every line of the young man's face. "It's good to see you alive! Light, I though that the Trollocs had got you." His smile faded and his eyes flickered from Gawyn, who as standing in front of his sister protectively, eyeing both Rand and Mat with an icy gaze, and Rand, who was staring at Mat with traces of anger.

"You fool," Rand said quietly. "Didn't I tell you? Didn't Moiraine tell you? Everything from that place is tainted…tainted, Mat! Even taking a pebble would have been disastrous, but you took a dagger!"

Mat was no longer smiling, and his hand was clutched around something…the dagger most likely, in his cloak, his eyes narrowed and a look of utter rage of his face. "I'm a fool?" He exclaimed, cackling softly, his voice hoarse and wheezy, as if another person was speaking through Mat. "You're the one that left me alone in that place! I had to find a weapon and this was all I could find! But maybe...you left me alone on purpose!" He took a step backwards, watching Rand warily. Comprehension was dawning on his face as Mordeth twisted his thoughts, bending them to paranoia and suspicion. "You…you wanted me to die, didn't you Rand? Were you working for the Trollocs? Did you make a deal with them? It would explain how you got out alive! Maybe…you set them in the Two Rivers, didn't you! Light, you're a Darkfriend! Of course, it all makes so much sense now! You changed that night Rand…I thought it was because of your father…but you bent to the Father of Lies! You Sheepspit Darkfriend!" Mat yelled the last part, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy.

Elayne and Gawyn were looking decidedly confused, Elayne's royal composure was slipping and Gawyn's cool exterior was cracking. Most likely, they hadn't understood half of what Mat had said, but they had definitely understood the words Trollocs and Darkfriend, and were now regarding Rand with great suspicion and tiny amounts of fear. Gawyn had his hand on his belt knife and was very carefully backing away, Elayne's arm in his grips.

"Who are you?" Elayne demanded, throwing her head high as she glared at both young men. Her blue eyes flashed with defiance as she regarded them both, her initial willingness to help Mat gone. "You had better leave, before the Queen's Guard comes! Take your fight somewhere else!"

"Are you part of this?" Mat snarled at her, with such force that she blinked and Gawyn moved forward, his hand at his belt knife and his eyes wary. "Are you a Darkfriend too? You must be! You're conspiring with Rand to kill me! But I won't let you!" He chuckled softly, madness sung into his voice, a darkness that only Rand could sense was multiplying and growing even as Mat spoke, as if Mordeth was redoubling his efforts.

"The Daughter-Heir of Andor, a Darkfriend?" Gawyn said incredulously. "Light, Man, you are mad!"

"Not mad, just twisted by the darkness of Shadar Logoth." Rand said quietly. He strode forward, one hand out, "Give me the dagger Mat, and we can heal you. Moiraine can help you…"

Mat went absolutely mad at the mention of the Aes Sedai, and with an insane scream of frenzy, he pulled his dagger out and leapt forward, the tip of the blade aimed for Rand's heart. Rand's hand blurred and the air swooshed as his blade swiped, deflecting the first stab. Mat stabbed again, his eyes closely resembling those of a mad animal, and Rand easily sidestepped out of danger from the unskilled attack, bringing his sword down from above his head and onto Mat's dagger with such great force that it was knocked out of Mat's hand. Mat scrambled for it, just as Rand bought the hilt of his sword down on Mat's head softly, while at the same time, seizing _saidin _and channeling a tiny weave of spirit into Mat's head. The reaction was instantaneous, Mat's limp body crumpled to the ground, appearing to have been knocked unconscious by Rand.

"Sorry Mat," Rand murmured as he approached the dagger gingerly, one hand holding his sword. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a dirty strip of cloth. With careful movements, he gingerly wrapped the cloth around the dagger, making sure not to actually touch the tainted blade with his flesh. When the dagger was safety wrapped, Rand wove wards of _saidin_, spirit, fire and air creating a sphere of red crystalline power only visible to those that could channel _saidin._ The ward would block the taint from the dagger, if only for a little while. It was like the ward that Rand had woven on Mat, but seeing as Mat had just tried to kill him, Rand didn't place too much trust in it. He placed the dagger in his cloak and turned to regard Gawyn and Elayne.

'_Such hair…Ilyena…just like Ilyena's…Light, what did I do? I did it madness…does that redeem me?'_ Lews Therin muttered softly, sorrow and anguish in his voice.

"I'm Rand al'Thor, of the Two Rivers. Lying on the ground is Mat Cauthon also of the Two Rivers" Rand introduced. He didn't know what he could actually say, not after what the both of them had just witnessed. "And you are Elayne Trakand, of the House Trakand and Daughter-Heir of Andor, while you are Gawyn Trakand, of the House Trakand, and the prime candidate for the next First Prince of Andor."

"I am." Elayne said, her eyes flicking to the sword that he held. Her voice was cool, and she sounded as if she were in perfect control of herself and the situation, something that Rand couldn't help but smile over. "What just happened, Mister al'Thor? I think that you have some explaining to do?"

Rand nodded slowly. He could not tell the truth, he trusted Elayne…or he had trusted her, but Eladia was still the Aes Sedai advisor at this moment, and Aes Sedai had a way of drawing information out of people. "My friend and I were traveling and we came across a deserted and ruined city that wasn't on our recent maps. We camped inside the city and just as night was approaching, I managed to find the name of the city on one of the maps from the Trolloc Wars. Aridhol…Shadar Logoth…I had heard enough rumors and stories to know that we should leave at once. Do you know of Shadar Logoth Elayne?"

Elayne nodded slowly, a hand at her mouth and her cheeks pale. "Oh," She whispered, while Gawyn grimaced beside her.

"As we were leaving, we stumbled onto a man, who called himself Mordeth. He said he needed help taking some treasure beyond the city walls…" Rand said, and smiled wryly as Gawyn flinched.

"Mordeth, as in the Councilor from the Trolloc Wars?" He asked with a dawning horror.

Rand shrugged. "I suppose he was. You see, he took us to a treasure pile, with gleaming gold coins and gems the size of eggs and weapons of beautiful make and design…such as the dagger you just saw. But I noticed that he didn't have a shadow, not even in the torchlight, so we fled, but when we got outside again, it was dark. And Mashadar…the deadly mist was loose. In the confusion, Mat and I separated, but we agreed to meet in Caemlyn if we could. And here we are."

"That is an incredible tale," Elayne said slowly. Her eyes flickered to Mat, and she frowned slightly. "What is going to happen to him?"

"If he is left unchecked he will transform into everything that Shadar Logoth stood for, and will bring death and destruction to this side of the blight, before he would start fighting the Dark One. Mordeth is evil, but an evil that is just as much as enemy to the Dark One as we are." Rand answered. "But, if we could get him to an Aes Sedai, she might be able to heal him. Of course, it had to be one of the Yellow Ajah…any other would kill Mat just to be safe."

Elayne nodded slowly, just as the sounds of running footsteps echoed in the garden. Red cloaked soldiers, with swords and bows in their hands, stormed through the arches and doorways, their eyes grim and their faces serious. Rand almost grimaced as they surrounded him, but suddenly he realized how this must look, him holding a sword over a fallen man in front of the Daughter-Heir. One of the guards must have seen it that way too, because an arrow sleeked through the air towards Rand

"No!" Elayne shouted, her voice loud and commanding. Rand seized _saidin _in the split second before the arrow would hit him, and light pulsed in his mind, mingled with taint. His senses stretched out, and he could smell the beautiful fragrances from the flowers booming in the guarding, the scent of perfume from Elayne, the smell of sweat and oil from the guards and their weapons. He could see everything, from the small freckly nestled on Gawyn's face, to the texture of the arrowhead that was whizzing towards him, suddenly slower and more sluggish than it had been. He raised his sword, he was one with his sword; he could feel every particle and every vibration that ran through it, he could felt particles of air slicing away as the sword was raised, and the tip of the blade touched the point of the arrow. To the others, his sword was a blur and suddenly the arrow flipped upwards, spiraling away before Rand's hand darted out and suddenly it was clasped in his left hand.

"Light!" Gawyn breathed in awe as Rand pretended to examine the arrow, studying the design, as Elayne took a position in front of him with her arms spread wide, shielding him with her own body.

"Do not attack him! He is my guest!" She commanded coldly, her eyes boring into the guard who had shot the arrow, who was shuffling between nervous looks at the Daughter-Heir and awed looks towards Rand. At once the arrows were lowered, but the swords stayed still as…Tallanvor, Rand could barely remember his name now, Tallanvor stood forward nervously, eying Rand strangely.

"Milady, a maid heard crazed shouts from the gardens." He started, his eyes flickering towards Rand worriedly for a few seconds, as if couldn't believe what he had just seen. Of course, the best Blademasters had been fast enough to deflect arrows with their swords, but not from that range. _Saidin _was a useful weapon sometimes…

"It was merely my guests friend falling off the wall." Elayne answered and lowered her arms as if she had intended to do so all along. Her gaze wandered around the guards and she frowned. "My guest did not see him fall, only heard his screams, and he thought he was under attack. So he jumped the wall with his sword out and only found myself and Gawyn trying to tend to his wounds."

Tallanvor nodded slowly and sheathed his sword reluctantly. "Milady, we will have to take the…guest…into custody, as per your mothers orders."

"I will go where my guest does." Elayne said, smiling like she had won a battle. "Do you think to bring me to a holding cell? Will you drag me off by force?"

Tallanvor looked uncomfortable, his hand shooting to pull at his collar and his face ashen and pale. "Um…Well…I…It isn't…My Lady, please!"

Elayne stood still, her chin up and her blue eyes calm and collected, almost as good as any Aes Sedai, until a red and white armored man darted past the throng of guards and whispered something into Tallanvor's ear. Tallanvor's face regained some color and he suddenly looked very pleased with himself.

"Never mind that," He said with satisfaction. "The Queen has demanded your presence."

Elayne suddenly lost her swaggering look, her confidence vanishing, while Rand marveled at the consistencies of the Wheel of Time. Some things just had to occur, it seemed. As two guards picked Mat up, Rand fell in beside Elayne, as they were escorted from the gardens and towards the Palace.


End file.
